Definitions
Quick Math
Spacetime Diagrams
Variables and Experiments
Trivia!
100
A frame of reference which is not accelerating.
What is an inertial reference frame?
100
The Lorentz Factor for 0.6c.
What is 1.25?
100
The proper label for line B.
What is ct'?
100
The quantity represented by the greek letter gamma
What is the Lorentz Factor?
100
The man who first formulated the two postulates of special relativity.
Who was Albert Einstein?
200
The two postulates of special relativity
What are: the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference, and the speed of light in a vacuum is constant in all inertial frames of reference?
200
To three significant figures, how fast spaceship A (0.9c in A frame) would see spaceship B flying towards it (0.3c in B frame)
What is 0.945c?
200
The object that the yellow line is a worldline of.
What is a photon?
200
The meaning of a subscript zero on a length or a time measurement
What is proper length and proper time?
200
The scientist the relativistic coordinate transformations are named for.
Who was (Hendrik) Lorentz?
300
Proper length
What is the length of an object as measured by an observer at rest relative to the object, or the longest possible length measurable for an object?
300
In S frame, an event has coordinates (400m, 3μs). S' moves at 0.8c relative to S. This would be the coordinate of the event in S' to three significant figures.
What is (-533m, 3.22μs)?
300
The event that occurs first according to ct'-x'.
What is event B?
300
The three invariant quantities
What are proper length, proper time, and the spacetime interval?
300
The scientist whose 4 equations of electromagnetism suggested that the speed of light in a vacuum was a constant.
Who was (James Clerk) Maxwell?
400
Worldline
What is the line that maps an object's movement in spacetime?
400
A spacecraft is measured at 2 meters wide, 2 meters thick and 10 meters long inside itself. A rocket passes it going 0.75c faster than it in the same direction. What is the volume of the spacecraft according to the rocket? Answer to the nearest integer.
What is 26 meters cubed?
400
The relative speed between the two frames.
What is 0.5c?
400
The result of the Mickelson-Morley experiment
What is that the speed of light (in a vacuum) is constant for all inertial frames of reference, or what is the second postulate of special relativity?
400
One light year in meters (to three significant figures).
What is 9.46 petameters? (9.46e15 meters)
500
The second postulate of Galilean Relativity
What is "time and space are absolute"?
500
My body has aged by 18 years, 5 weeks, and 3 seconds since birth. One year is 365.25 days. One day is 23 hours and 56 minutes. How old would I be, to the nearest hour, to a frame moving at 0.65c relative to me my whole life?
What is 208159 hours old?
500
The alternative name for spacetime diagrams.
What is a Minkowski Diagram?
500
The average speed and lifetime of a muon.
What is 0.98c (0.99c acceptable) and what is 2.3 microseconds (2.1-2.4 acceptable)?
500
The year the special relativity was published.
What is 1905?