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Modern Physics: Relativity, Nuclear & Particle

139 cards · 🇺🇸 English

Special and general relativity, nuclear decay and the standard model.

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Theory of relativity

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  1. 1Theory of relativity
    Two physics theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity (1905) and general relativity (1915), describing space, time, and gravity
  2. 2What does special relativity apply to?
    All physical phenomena in the absence of gravity
  3. 3What does general relativity explain?
    The law of gravitation and its relation to other forces of nature, applying to cosmological and astrophysical realms
  4. 4Spacetime
    A unified 4-dimensional entity combining the three dimensions of space with one dimension of time
  5. 5Two postulates of special relativity
    1) Laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames. 2) Speed of light in vacuum is constant for all observers
  6. 6Speed of light in vacuum
    Approximately 3.0 × 10⁸ m/s (about 300,000 km/s), constant for all observers
  7. 7Inertial frame of reference
    A reference frame moving at constant velocity (not accelerating) where Newton's first law holds
  8. 8Relativity of simultaneity
    Events that are simultaneous for one observer may not be simultaneous for another observer in relative motion
  9. 9Time dilation
    Moving clocks tick more slowly than stationary clocks, as measured by a stationary observer
  10. 10Length contraction
    Objects are measured to be shortened in the direction they are moving relative to the observer
  11. 11Cosmic speed limit
    No physical object, message, or field can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum
  12. 12Mass-energy equivalence
    Energy and mass are equivalent and transmutable, expressed by Einstein's famous equation E = mc²
  13. 13E = mc²
    Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared; mass can be converted to energy and vice versa
  14. 14What experiment confirmed that light speed is constant?
    The Michelson-Morley experiment (1881, 1887) failed to detect aether wind, showing light speed is isotropic
  15. 15Lorentz transformations
    Mathematical equations relating space and time coordinates between different inertial reference frames in special relativity
  16. 16What did special relativity replace?
    Galilean transformations of classical mechanics with Lorentz transformations
  17. 17Lorentz factor
    γ = 1/√(1 - v²/c²), a factor appearing in time dilation and length contraction formulas
  18. 18What theory did relativity supersede?
    A 200-year-old theory of mechanics created primarily by Isaac Newton
  19. 19Equivalence principle
    The physical effects of being in an accelerated frame are identical to being in a gravitational field
  20. 20Why did Einstein propose that spacetime is curved?
    To resolve the incompatibility between free fall (inertial motion) and acceleration in classical mechanics and special relativity
  21. 21Einstein field equations
    Equations relating the curvature of spacetime to the mass, energy, and momentum within it
  22. 22Riemannian geometry
    A mathematical framework developed in the 1800s describing curved spaces, used by Einstein to formulate general relativity
  23. 23Gravitational time dilation
    Clocks run slower in deeper gravitational wells (stronger gravity = slower time)
  24. 24Precession of Mercury
    Mercury's orbit precesses (shifts) in a way unexplained by Newton's gravity but predicted by general relativity
  25. 25Light deflection
    Rays of light bend when passing through a gravitational field, as predicted by general relativity
  26. 26Gravitational lensing
    The bending of light by massive objects due to their gravitational field, causing distortion of images of distant objects
  27. 27Frame-dragging
    Rotating masses 'drag along' the spacetime around them
  28. 28Expansion of the universe
    The universe is expanding, and certain components can accelerate this expansion (dark energy)
  29. 29Free fall in general relativity
    Inertial motion—objects in free fall move naturally without forces acting on them, following geodesics in curved spacetime
  30. 30Geodesic
    The straightest possible path through curved spacetime, followed by objects in free fall

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