Abstract¶
Instead of including rigid bodies, we opted for Special Relativity as the part of the course. In our opinion it is very stimulating for freshmen students to dive into the fascinating world of Einstein and his Relativity Theory. Moreover, Special Relativity is mathematically ‘light’, but it has strange, counterintuitive consequences. Via these, we can show that it is really beneficial to work with a solid framework and to follow a rigorous approach when dealing with questions and problems. It helps to leave the High School approach - which is understandably a bit sloppy - behind and enter the world of physics.
We discuss the consequences of the fact that the speed of light in vacuum is the same for all inertial observers. We restrict our selves to kinematics and collisions, so working with four-forces and four-acceleration are not part of this course. Length contraction, time dilation, velocity transformation are all part of this course. Moreover, we do introduce the student to four-vectors that will help understanding the new physics. We apply these concepts to collisions at high speed and high energies. It goes without saying, that we also do not treat General Relativity as that requires mastering of advanced mathematics.
It is always a ‘joy’ to see when students are first confronted with Special relativity, be a both confused, a bit ‘but this can not be’ and at the same time excited about this new world. The lectures breaks are then filled with students approaching us, sometimes confused, struggling understanding and appreciating the ‘weird’ consequences, but always eager to understand and learn. We wish for all physics students to get engaged and introduced as soon as possible in this new world.