New Spacetime Emporium collection resources

Particle Worldline Model

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:08:33 EST

The Particle Worldline model computes and displays the trajectory of a test particle in the vicinity of a black hole using Schwarzschild coordinates. It was created for the study of Einstein's theory of general relativity and the Schwarzschild metric. The model has input fields displaying the Schwarzschild coordinates and their rates of change as well as the energy E and and angular momentum L of the particle. Conservation laws and the speed of light impose restrictions on the dynamical variables and these restrictions are enforced when entering values or dragging the particle. For example, if a user changes the default value of dr/dt to 10, the model automatically reduces the value to 0.685 because the particle speed cannot exceed the speed of light c=1. The Particle Worldline model a supplemental simulation for the article "When action is not least for orbits in general relativity" by C. G. Gray and Eric Poisson in the American Journal of Physics 79(1), 43-55 (2011) and has been approved by the authors and the American Journal of Physics (AJP) editor. The simulation was developed using the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) modeling tool and is distributed as a ready-to-run (compiled) Java archive. Double clicking the ejs_gr_ParticleWorldline.jar file will run the program if Java is installed.

Resource Letter BH-2: Black Holes

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:03:58 EST

This Resource Letter is designed to guide students, educators, and researchers through (some of) the literature on black holes. We discuss both the physics and astrophysics of black holes. We emphasize breadth over depth, and review articles over primary sources. We include resources ranging from nontechnical discussions appropriate for broad audiences to technical reviews of current research. Topics addressed include classification of stationary solutions, perturbations and stability of black holes, numerical simulations, collisions, the production of gravity waves, black-hole thermodynamics and Hawking radiation, quantum treatments of black holes, black holes in both higher and lower dimensions, and connections to nuclear and condensed-matter physics. On the astronomical end, we also cover the physics of gas accretion onto black holes, relativistic jets, gravitationally redshifted emission lines, evidence for stellar-mass black holes in binary systems and supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, the quest for intermediate-mass black holes, the assembly and merging history of supermassive black holes through cosmic time, and their affects on the evolution of galaxies.

Concepts of Mass in Contemporary Physics and Philosophy

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:07:35 EST

This book reviews the concept of mass as it is defined, interpreted, and applied in contemporary physics and critically examined in the modern philosophy of science. It focuses on theories proposed after the mid-1950s, covering recent experimental and theoretical investigations into the nature of mass and its role in modern physics. The book begins with the difficulties of defining inertial mass in a non-circular manner and discusses the question of whether mass is an observational or a theoretical concept. It then studies the notion of mass in special relativity and gives a critical analysis of the different derivations of the famous mass-energy relationship E = mc² and its conflicting interpretations. The book concludes with a presentation of recently proposed global and local dynamical theories of the origin and nature of mass.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 - Albert Einstein

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:57:21 EST

This page includes a short biography of Albert Einstein as part of the citation and record of his Nobel Prize. Included are links to his Nobel Lecture and the presentation of his prize.

Probing students' understanding of some conceptual themes in general relativity

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:55:22 EST

This work is an attempt to see how physics undergraduates view the basic ideas of general relativity when they are exposed to the topic in a standard introductory course. Since the subject is conceptually and technically difficult, we adopted a “case studies” approach, focusing in depth on about six students who had just finished a one semester course on special relativity. The methodology of investigation involved a combination of text comprehension questionnaire and detailed clinical interviews. The aim was not to investigate the technical proficiency of the students, but to probe in detail the nuances of their conceptions of several basic points of the subject. Analysis of their responses reveals a large number of “alternative conceptions” of students in the domain. The study should be useful to physics education researchers as well as to teachers of introductory general relativity at about the senior undergraduate level.

The Physics of Rotation

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:53:44 EST

This web site contains media-illustrated articles on various physical phenomena related to the Coriolis effect. Almost all of the articles are illustrated with animations and java simulations. The main subjects covered include the Coriolis and Centrifugal effects, rotation-vibration coupling, the consequences of Earth's rotation on oceanography and weather, the Foucault pendulum, and angular momentum conservation. There are also articles on the Eötvös effect and special and general relativity.

Spacetime 101

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:13:37 EST

Spacetime 101 provides basic background covering how mathematical models of space and time have evolved since ancient times, from the Pythagorean Rule to Newtonian mechanics, Special Relativity and General Relativity.

Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:21:46 EST

This is a selective list of some short stories and novels that use more or less accurate science. They can be used for teaching or reinforcing astronomy or physics concepts. Both traditional "science-fiction" and (occasionally) more serious fiction that derives meaning or plot from astronomy or physics ideas are included. Almost 200 stories in 40 subject categories are listed, including a good number that relate to relativity, black holes, and cosmology.

Teaching Physics Using Virtual Reality

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:47:59 EST

This web site provides pedagogical material to use with Real Time Relativity, a virtual relativistic world simulator. Included are a lab using the software, student evaluations, and web resources for teaching relativity.

Real Time Relativity

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:34:25 EST

This web site hosts a computer program that allows the user to interactively experience a virtual relativistic world. It is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This software is a central element of the project Teaching Physics Using Virtual Reality. It provides a conceptual introduction to special relativity by experiencing it in a virtual world.

Einstein Papers Project

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:42:31 EST

This project hosted by the California Institute of Technology is collecting all of Albert Einstein's papers into a single series. The papers cover everything from relativity and quantum mechanics to pacifism and Zionism. The website also includes a link to the Princeton University Press for many published papers by Einstein.

Concepts of Mass in Classical and Modern Physics

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:53:37 EST

This book discusses the history of the concept of mass and its properties. It guides you through the philosophy, conceptualization, and mathematics of one of the most fundamental concepts of science.

A Relativist's Toolkit: The Mathematics of Black-Hole Mechanics

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:32:07 EST

A graduate text, at a level between Schutz and Wald. Techniques of differential geometry (such as the description of congruences and hypersurfaces) are introduced to prepare the way to an in-depth discussion of black holes.

Physlets Chapter 10: Modern Physics Problems

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:04:57 EST

This Physlets page is Chapter 10 covering Modern Physics. The site uses applets and problems to help users gain a better understanding of the subject. Subjects covered by Chapter 10 are Special Relativity, Wavefunctions, and Quantum Wells.

A Radically Modern Approach to Introductory Physics

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:04:29 EST

This is an online text for an introductory college physics course that approaches the subject through topics in modern physics. It is written specifically to engage students interested in becoming physics majors. The course starts from the physics of waves, relativity, and quantum physics. Appropriate level problems are included.

From Antiquity to Einstein

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:03:18 EST

These online notes outline the history of Western thought on cosmology and the structure of space and time. Included is an introduction to the scientific method and large numbers, astronomy, Newton's laws, and the aspects of electricity and magnetism and optics that lead to 20th century physics. The final sections cover special and general relativity, and their impact on astronomy and cosmology. Important contributions by the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, Ptomely, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein are included.

Reflections on Relativity

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:02:44 EST

This online book examines the evolution of the principle of relativity in its classical, special, and general incarnations. It includes both technical and historical perspectives of the topic. Conceptual and mathematical aspects of the theory are covered. This text is part of a larg collection of essays on math and physics at www.mathpages.com

The Equivalence Principle: True or False?

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:02:27 EST

This site discusses what the equivalence principle is and an experiment that demonstrates its validity. There are many helpful diagrams accompanying this tutorial.

The Grand Illusion - Einstein's paradoxical proposal: gravity is but a change in perspective

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:01:55 EST

This site offers information about Einsteins Theory of General and Special Relativity and how it changed the idea's of Newton about gravity. The author begins with a summary of Newton's three laws and his law on gravity. It concludes with Einstein's theories and the predictions of his theories like gravitational lensing.

The utilization of fiction when teaching the theory of relativity

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:01:23 EST

This paper describes a way of teaching the theory of relativity with the aid of a novel (Stannard, R., 1989: [Faber and Faber]). The experiment is part of a large research project whose aim is to contribute to the formation of didactic theories by means of an evaluation of alternative methods. The preliminary examination reported here has given such remarkable results that they should also be of interest outside the project group.