HPS 1632 Einstein for Almost Everyone
Fall term 2019
Back to course document list.
Schedule
| Week | Date | For discussion | Norton speaks | Reading assignment due | Interpretive assignment due | |
| 1 |
Aug. 29 |
Introduction Review of Modules |
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| Introduction to Special Relativity "Origins of Special Relativity" "Einstein's Pathway to Special Relativity" |
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| 2 |
Sep. 5 |
Introduction and I. Kinematical Part (Sections 1 to 2) of A. Einstein, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" In Principle of Relativity | 1. Special Relativity Part
1. |
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| 3 |
Sep. 12 |
Kinematical Part
(Sections 3, 4 and 5) of A. Einstein, "On the Electrodynamics
of Moving Bodies" In Principle of Relativity In class exercise: Lorentz transformation
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Read my notes on Einstein's
derivation of the Lorentz transformation |
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| 4 |
Sep. 19 |
Section 3 of
Kinematical Part of A. Einstein, "On the Electrodynamics of
Moving Bodies" In Principle of Relativity page with cutoff footnote Chasing the light: Einstein's Most Famous Thought Experiment |
Einstein's
1905 derivation of the Lorentz transformation. Chasing the light: Einstein's Most Famous Thought Experiment powerpoint |
1. Special Relativity, Part 2. | ||
| 5 |
Sep. 26 |
II. Electrodynamic Part of A. Einstein, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" In Principle of Relativity. Section 6. Lorentz transformation for the electromagnetic field. | Minimum Maxwell:
The minimum you need to read Einstein's 1905 paper. Minimum Maxwell Partial derivatives Magnet and conductor A qualitative thought experiment connects field transformations and space and time transformations powerpoint |
1. Special Relativity, Part 3. | 1.
Lorentz Transformation of Special Relativity |
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| 6 |
Oct. 3 |
II. Electrodynamic
Part of A. Einstein, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies"
In Principle of Relativity. Complete Section 6. "Old and new manners of expression" Section 10. "Dynamics of the Slowly Accelerated Electron." Section 7. "Theory of Doppler's Principle and of Aberration." My notes on Section 10. My notes on Section 6. |
How did Einstein
take "The Step"? (= the adoption of the relativity of simultaneity) powerpoint |
1. Special Relativity, Part 4. | |
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| 7 |
Oct. 10 |
Complete materials from Oct. 3 as needed. Section 7. "Theory of Doppler's Principle and of Aberration." How did Einstein take "The Step"? powerpoint |
How Hume and Mach Helped Einstein Find Special Relativity powerpoint |
1. Special Relativity, Part 5. | ||
| 8 |
Oct. 17 |
A. Einstein, "Does the
Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy-Content" (1905) in Principle
of Relativity. Section 1 "A Special Case" in A. Einstein, "The Principle of Conservation of Motion of the Center of Gravity and the Inertia of Energy," (1906) Doc. 35 in Einstein Papers, Vol 2. |
How Hume and Mach Helped Einstein Find Special Relativity powerpoint The World's Quickest Derivation of E = mc2 Section 5, E=mc2 in John D. Norton, "Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity and the Problems in the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies that Led him to it." pp. 72-102 in Cambridge Companion to Einstein Notes Notes on Einstein 1905 Notes on Einstein 1906 Photo of Einstein giving a lecture on E=mc2 in Pittsburgh in 1934. |
1. Special Relativity, Part 6. | ||
| 9 |
Oct. 24 |
Complete material on E=mc2 Spacetime, Spacetime and the Relativity of Simultaneity and (optionally) |
Notes on Einstein 1905 Notes on Einstein 1906 |
2. Minkowski spacetime |
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| 10 |
Oct. 31 |
Complete material on Minkowski spacetime |
Notes on metrical spaces | 2. Principle and constructive theories OR E=mc2 |
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| 11 |
Nov. 7 |
Discussion: possible term paper topics. |
(meeting curtailed due to instructor illness) | |
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| 12 |
Nov. 14 |
(briefly)Spacetime,
Tachyons, Twins and Clocks General Relativity Gravity near a massive body Big Bang Cosmology |
Notes on Minkowski spacetime Notes on tidal acceleration Notes on general relativity |
3. General relativity, Part 1 | ||
| Nov. 14 | Term paper preview due | |||||
| 13 |
Nov. 21 |
Gravity
near a massive body Big Bang Cosmology Einstein's Pathway to General Relativity. Einstein, "Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity," 1916, Part A |
Notes on tidal acceleration Notes on general relativity Notes on Newtonian Cosmology |
3. General relativity, Part 2 | 3. Orthogonal
Transformations |
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| Nov. 28 Thanksgiving break | ||||||
| 14 |
Dec. 5 |
Students present their term paper projects |
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| Orphaned topics | A Peek into
Einstein's Zurich Notebook and Powerpoint and/or Philosophical Significance of the General Theory of Relativity: Geometric Morals or Relativity of Accelerated Motion or The Hole Argument or Theory and Evidence |
ANYTHING THE CLASS WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS and/or The Error that Showed the Way: Einstein’s Path to his Gravitational Field Equations Powerpoint |
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| Dec. 6 Last day of classes |
Term paper due, 5pm. |
