CHEM 112 Chapter Notes -Length Contraction, Light Cone, Flashlight
Document Summary
Einstein"s special theory of relativity has two fundamental postulates: the principle of relativity and the principle of the invariance of the speed of light. Consider two spaceships which are far enough from other masses that the effects of gravity can be neglected. Suppose that these spaceships are moving with constant velocity. (an astronaut inside a spaceship can easily determine whether the ship is moving with constant velocity by trying to float freely at a fixed position relative to the spaceship. If the ship"s velocity is not constant, then the astronaut will crash into one of the walls of the ship. ) standard of absolute rest. This principle is familiar to anyone who has ever been in a train. When leaving a station, the train often starts and stops several times, and the engine vibrates so you can"t tell whether the train is moving at any particular time just by feeling the vibrations of the wheels.
