Special Relativity: A Concise Guide for Beginners

As a boy, Einstein had imagined riding a beam of light and wondered if he would be able to see his reflection whilst holding a mirror. According to Newton, he would be moving so fast that light from his face, would not be able catch up with the mirror to become reflected back into his eyes. Travelling along at the speed of light, the wave front would appear frozen, however Maxwell had shown that light is an oscillating electromagnetic field and therefore such a stationary wave was impossible. Einstein resolved this conflict by realising that space and time are relative. Einstein is synonymous with the theory of relativity and these days we rely upon its accuracy in order for the Large Hadron Collider and Global Positioning Satellites to function properly. As a corollary, Einstein’s famous equation of mass-energy equivalence, has led to an understanding of the nature of stars, as well as the legacy of the nuclear age here on Earth. Other books in the series are available online at; http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/pgb27