Periods+2,+6++-+Monday,+May+16th

//Every individual is responsible for keeping his/her own recorded answers.//

 * __ Part 1: MAXWELL – Electricity, Magnetism, and Relativity __**

[|Website]

Select the blue link, Maxwell from the webpage. Watch the multimedia clip to get a brief overview. If needed, go down the page until use see the MAXWELL heading and use the related links as a source of additional information.

Q1) Describe the electric and magnetic forces exerted by moving charged particles on each other. What factors influence the magnitude and direction of each force? Q2) Assuming the laws of electricity and magnetism apply equally to two observers in relative motion, can electromagnetic measurements be used to determine if an observer is moving? Explain. Q3) Is there a contradiction between Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism and Galilean relativity?


 * __ Part 2: EINSTEIN – The Principle of Special Relativity __**

At the top of the page, you should see a small __home__ link. Click on it (If can't find it, simply go to the top of this page and click on the website link again.

Select the blue Einstein link. Watch the multimedia clip to get a brief overview. If needed, go down the page until use see the EINSTEIN heading and use the related links as a source of additional information.

Q4) Does a preferred frame of reference exist? Why or why not? Q5) Why do we not sense the rotation of the Earth on its axis, the revolution of the Earth around the Sun, and the motion of our solar system through the Milky Way? Q6) What is Einstein’s principle of relativity? What is the direct consequence of this principle? How does this compare to Galilean relativity? Q7) What was the purpose of the Michelson-Morley experiment? What did this experiment conclude? Q8) What is the value for the speed of light?


 * __ Part 3: TIME DILATION – How Relativity Implies Time Dilation and Length Contraction __**

[|Einstein's Rocket]

Complete the following Thought Experiment tutorials at Einstein’s Rocket. Tutorial 1 – Time Dilation Tutorial 2 – Length Contraction Tutorial 3 - Simultaneity Tutorial 4 – Space-time Diagrams

[|Physics Flash Animations] View the animations on time dilation, length contraction, and simultaneity.

Q9) Do absolute measurements of time and distance exist? What //is// absolute? Q10) What is meant by proper time and proper length? How do these compare to the time and length measured by other observers? Q11) Explain why events that are simultaneous in one reference frame are not simultaneous in a reference frame moving with respect to the first. Q12) What is a space-time diagram? Q13) What is gamma, g ? State the mathematical formula for gamma. Q14) Do we observe relativistic effects at all speeds? What situations have demonstrated that time dilation does occur? How significant were the effects in those experiments? Explain what is meant by the “symmetry of time dilation” and the “symmetry of length contraction”.