Project #2 -- Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
Assignment
Study Chapter 6 section 8 in your text on Einstein's Special theory of relativity.
In two or three
pages, summarize the section. Then solve problems 6 and 9 at the end of the
section.
Mathematics Needed
Matrix of a transformation, inner products of vectors (in Section 6.1)
The Report
Your project should contain at least the following sections:
Introduction : This section should give a brief account
of the subject matter discussed in your report.
Summary of Ideas: In this section, you should provide a 2 or 3 page
summary of the major ideas in the section. In your summary, be sure you discuss
the ideas you'll need to solve the problems at the end!
Problems: This is where you solve the two applied problems. You should not
only solve the problems, but you should also offer a concise explanation of what
you understand to be the ideas behind the calculations. Draw a picture or pictures
if you think it will help illuminate your work.
(As usual, please do not delve into the gory detail of any computations. It's unnecessary to
list every step of every process, and doing so is deathly boring for your
reader. It is sufficient to say what you did and why, show the key intermediate
steps of the calculation, and then show what
resulted from your calculation.)
Conclusion : Self-explanatory.
Points
This project will be substantially longer than the other projects and therefore will
be worth 30 points towards your final grade (as opposed to 20 points for a regular
project). The point breakdown is as follows
- Mathematical Methodology: Your
calculations, approach and procedure should be clear, complete and correct.
-- 11 points
- Clarity of your explanation / summary: It is very
important to be able to communicate your solution and your ideas clearly to
non-experts -- 11 points
- Good Grammar: Grammar, spelling, general professionality of completed
document (the spell check
is just the beginning....) -- 3 points
- Mathematical Notation: Use correct
mathematical notation in the correct context -- 5 points
- Extra Credit Any imaginative ideas,
background stories, mathematical/artistic additions which extend the topic
in some (tasteful) way. -- 3 points