Objectives for September 1, 2005.
[1] Understand how the axes on a spacetime diagram are related for different inertial observers.
[2] Know what is meant by the invariant interval between two events, and realize that it is special because it is preserved by all Lorentz transformations.
[3] Understand what is meant by the terms “lightlike”, “spacelike”, and “timelike” when applied to spacetime intervals.
[4] Understand the Doppler Effect and its origin. Realize that there is a Doppler Effect even when the source and observer are moving perpendicular to one another, and realize why.
[5] Know the expression for relativistic momentum, and know how to apply it.
[6] Know the expression for relativistic energy, and know how to apply it.
[7] Understand that mass is a form of potential energy, and know the relationship between the two. Be able to use this relationship to determine the binding energy of nuclei from a knowledge of their masses.
[8] Be able to demonstrate that the relativistic expressions for momentum and energy reduce to their non-relativistic counterparts when v << c, as long as we interpret the quantity mc2 as the potential energy of a massive particle at rest. This quantity is called the particle's “rest mass energy”.
Homework for Friday, September 2, 2005 (Just a Reminder!)
[1] Read Sections 2.1 - 2.8 in Thornton and Rex.
[2] Do Problems 1, 11, 13, 16, 20, 35, & 37 at the end of Chapter 2 (pp. 75-76) in Thornton and Rex.