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Physics vocabulary · Quantum and Modern Physics

Special relativity

Meaning in physics, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In physics, special relativity means: Einstein's 1905 theory stating that the laws of physics are the same for all observers moving at constant velocity, and that the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all of them.

In Turkish: özel görelilik, özel görelilik kuramı

How it is used

It leads to time dilation (moving clocks run slow), length contraction and E = mc². Its effects are only large at speeds close to the speed of light, but GPS satellites must still correct for them. General relativity (1915) extends the theory to include gravity.

Example sentences

  1. Special relativity explains why muons created high in the atmosphere live long enough to reach the ground.

  2. This term we'll study special relativity, starting with time dilation.

Common collocations

  • theory of special relativity
  • time dilation
  • length contraction
  • general relativity
  • relativistic speeds
  • velocityHow fast an object moves in a particular direction. It is speed with a direction, so it is a vector, measured in metres per second (m/s).
  • energyThe ability of a system to do work or cause change. It comes in many forms, such as kinetic, potential, thermal and chemical, and it is measured in joules (J).
  • photonA single packet, or quantum, of electromagnetic energy. Its energy depends only on the frequency of the radiation: E = hf, where h is Planck's constant.
  • quantumThe smallest separate amount of a physical quantity, such as energy, that can be absorbed or emitted. Light energy, for example, comes in quanta called photons.

More terms: Quantum and Modern Physics

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