Special Relativity

THOMAS M. HELLIWELL is Burton Bettingen Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at Harvey Mudd College, USA. He received his B.A. from Pomona College, USA and his Ph.D. at Caltech, USA, where his thesis was on atomic physics and quantum mechanics. He has published more than 40 research papers, many with undergraduate coauthors, in quantum mechanics and general relativity. He has taught a wide variety of undergraduate courses, from beginning to advanced, in classical mechanics, special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and electromagnetism. He has also served as Director of the Freshman Division, Chair of the Physics Department, Chair of the Faculty, and Dean of Faculty.

Internal Frames and Classical Mechanics.- Light and Ether.- Einstein's Postulates.- Time Dilation.- Lengths.- Simultaneity.- Paradoxes.- The Lorentz Transformation.- Spacetime.- Momentum.- Energy.- Applications.- Transforming Energy and Momentum.- Gravitation.- Appendices.- A. The Binomial Approximation.- B. The 'Paradox' of Light-Spheres.- C. The Appearance of Moving Objects.- D. The Twin Paradox Revisited.- E. The 'Cosmic Speed Limit:'.- F. "Relativistic Mass" and Relativistic Forces.- G. The Ultimate Relativistic Spaceflight.- H. Nuclear Decays, Fission and Fusion.- I. Some Particles.- J. Relativity and Electromagnetism
Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems.