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Einstein's relativity
Resources, IT Applications
Resources
Resources from Physics Teachers Conferences
Type | Filename | Filesize | |
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405 kB | ||
A document outlining the essentials of the Relativity DS. This document is designed to be given to students to work with. KB | |||
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82.9 kB | ||
B6 Relativity makes sense. Ross Phillips | |||
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82.9 kB | ||
Presentation by Ross Phillips, PLC at the 2008 Physics Teachers Conference | |||
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710 kB | ||
Einstein’s Train and other ‘Gedanken’ experiments. A document describing thought experiments that can be used to illustrate the concepts of non-simultaneity and time dilation. | |||
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6.88 MB | ||
A powerpoint presentation for teachers to use in teaching the Einstein's Relativity DS presented by Keith Burrows at the 2012 VCE Physics Teachers Conference | |||
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101 kB | ||
This file contains the document that Keith Burrows presented at the 2001 STAV/AIP Physics Conference outlining his arguments for the inclusion of the teaching of relativity in VCE Physics when the course is re-accredited in 2004. | |||
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464 kB | ||
A copy of the paper presented by Keith Burrows at the 2010 Physics teachers conference. | |||
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262 kB | ||
A presentation by Keith Burrows at the 2007 Physics Teachers Conference. | |||
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63 B | ||
Audio streaming (15 mins)of the presentation by Keith Burrows at the 2007 Physics Teachers Conference. | |||
Text Resources
- Arianrhod, R 2003, Einstein’s Heroes, QUP. Good background, particularly on Maxwell.
- Bodanis, D 2001, E=mc2 A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation, Pan Books.
- davie, P and Gribbin, J 1991, Relativity Simply Explained, Dover, New York.
- Einstein, A 1995, The Matter Myth, Viking.
- Gardner, M 1997, Relativity Simply Explained, Dover, New York.
- Hey, T & Waiter, P 1997, Einstein's Mirror, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Russell, B 1985, The ABC of Relativity, Unwin, London.
- Scheider, W 2000, Maxwell's Conundrum: A Serious but not Ponderous Book about Relativity, Cavendish Press, Ann Arbor, from Cavendish Science
- Stachel, J 1999, Einstein's Miraculous Year, Princeton University Press. Original papers translated and with comments.
Audiovisual Resources
It is recommended that teachers should view any video before purchase.
- Marcom Projects: Light, Optics and Electricity, Light Pressure for Heavy Ideas, Modern Physics & Cosmology
- VEA: What's special about Relativity
IT Applications
Useful Websites
Relativity on the World Wide Web
A very comprehensive web resource on relativity is Relativity on the World Wide Web. It lists popular science sites (without the maths), visualisation sites, web tutorials, observational and experimental evidence, discussion of scientifically inaccurate claims and formal coursework at undergraduate and graduate level.
Pirelli Relativity Multimedia Award
Click on Kiran Sachdev, the winner, and also Alan Boyle and Clay Frost.
Seeing Relativity: a multimedia relativistic visualisation work
A multimedia relativistic visualisation work called 'Through Einstein' Eyes, and an interactive relativistic visualisation program called 'Real Time Relativity'. It is produced by Antony Searle of ANU.
George gamow's Mr Tompkins in Wonderland
First 8 pages only.
Einstein Light by Uni of NSW
A very comprehensive website.
History of Physics: Einstein
The Centre for History of Physics pahe on Einstein set up by the American Institute of Physics. The website includes his chronology; articles on his physics, political life and home life; audio of his speech on energy-mass equivalence, his essay "the World as I see it", as well as several articles by science historians.
Animation Studies
Quicktime animation studies by the Physics Dept of New York University on Waves and Special relativity. The studies are simple and effective with clear explanations.
Applets
Time Dilation
An aplet by Walter Fendt. A spaceship is flying a distance of 5 light hours, e.g. from Earth to Pluto. The speed can be regulated with the upper buttons. The applet demonstrates that the clock in the spaceship goes more slowly than the two clocks of the system in which Earth and Pluto are motionless.