Einstein and the Special Theory of Relativity, (With DVD) 01 Edition

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Special Theory of Relativity is considered as one of the major revolutions of the twentieth century, the second one being the ???quantum theory???. Roger Penrose wrote: ???Albert Einstein had such extraordinary deep perceptions of the workings of Nature that he laid foundation stones for both of thesetwentieth century revolutions in the single year of 1905.??? Since Einstein is considered as one of the supreme intellects of all time, in Chapter 1 I have given his brief life sketch. In the following chapters, I have tried to explain (in an easy-to-understand manner) the basic physics and the fascinating consequences of the Special Theory of Relativity. About the Author Professor Ajoy Ghatak obtained his M.Sc. from Delhi University and Ph.D. from Cornell University. His areas of research are Fiber Optics and Quantum Mechanics. He has several books in these ares including Introduction to Fiber Optics (co-auathored with Professor K. Thyagarajan) and Quantum Mechanics (co-authored with Professor S. Lokanathan). His undergraduate text on Optics has been translated to Chinese and Persian. Professor Ghatak is a recipient of several awards including the 2008 SPIE Educator award in recognition of ???his unparalleled global contributions to the field of fiber optics research, and his tireless dedication to optics education worldwide and throughout the developing world in particular??? and the 2003 Optical Society of America Esther Hoffman Beller award in recognition of his ???outstanding contributions to optical science and engineering education???. He is also a recipient of the CSIR S.S. Bhatnagar award, 16th Khwarizmi International award and the International Commission for Optics Galileo Galilei award and the Meghnad Saha Award (instituted by the UGC) for outstanding research contributions in theoretical sciences. He received D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) from the University of Burdwan in 2007.?? Table of Contents Chapter 1: Albert Einstein: A Brief Life Sketch and his Numerous Contribution Chapter 2: Time Dilation and Length Contraction : Introduction Speed of light for a moving source Time dilation The Mu-meson experiment The length contraction Understanding the Mu-meson experiment via length contraction Length contraction of a moving train Simultaneity of two events The twin paradox The Michelson Morley experiment Brief historical remarks Problems Reference Chapter 3: The Mass-Energy Relation : Introduction The mass-energy relation The Doppler shift Problems References Chapter 4: Lorentz Transformations : Introduction The lorentz transformations Transformation laws for the components of the momentum vector Addition of velocities Problems Appendix A : Equations describing galilean transformation Appendix B: Invariance of the wave equation under lorentz transformation Appendix C: Relativistic expression for kinetic energy