The Theory of special relativity Essay Example for Free

The Theory of special relativity Essay Abstract: Prior to albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity there was always an idea about relativity. Through Galilean transformations, which worked perfectly with the newton’s laws of motion, people had formed a vague idea that all motion in this world is relative to something else. There came up the mysterious thing called aether — the medium through which light propagated. The belief in aether had caused a mess of things, in Einstein’s view, by introducing a medium that caused certain laws of physics to work differently depending on how the observer moved relative to the aether. In 1905, Albert Einstein published the theory of special relativity, which explains how to interpret motion between different inertial frames of reference — that is, places that are moving at constant speeds relative to each other. Einstein explained that when two objects are moving at a constant speed as the relative motion between the two objects, instead of appealing to the aether as an absolute frame of reference that defined what was going on. If you and your friend, say AA, are moving in different spaceships and want to compare your observations, all that matters is how fast you and AA are moving with respect to each other. Special relativity includes only the special case (hence the name) where the motion is uniform. The motion it explains is only if you’re traveling in a straight line at a constant speed. As soon as you accelerate or curve — or do anything that changes the nature of the motion in any way — special relativity ceases to apply. That’s where Einstein’s general theory of relativity comes in, because it can explain the general case of any sort of motion. Einstein’s theory was based on two key principles: * The principle of relativity: All objects move in a motion relative to one another. No motion except the speed of light is fixed. And the laws of physics don’t change, even for objects moving in inertial (constant speed) frames of reference. * The principle of the speed of light: The speed of light is the same for all observers, regardless of their motion relative to the light source. (Physicists write this speed using the symbol c.) Explaining theory of relativity and related concepts Classical Relativity (mechanics theory) Experiment: (Self thought and practically conducted) An everyday life situation when you are moving in a straight escalator. Standing on next to an escalator, I measured the speed of my mother, who was standing still on the straight escalator, using a Doppler’s radar. Speed measured by the radar= 3 km/h Then standing on the same escalator I measured the speed of my mother a few meters from me. Speed Measured by the radar= 0 km/h Explanation: Classical relativity states that all motion in this universe is relative to one another. Nothing is fixed. As measured by the radar the escalator and hence my stationary mother on it was moving at a speed of 3km/h. But when I measured the speed with myself on the escalator, the radar measured 0 km/h. This is because although my mother was still moving with the escalator’s speed her state of motion with respect to mine was stationary. Maxwell’s theory and the abolishment of aether theory Maxwell was a scientist who gave various laws with respect to electromagnetic radiation. He, through his equations, proposed that like all other EMRs even the speed of light could be calculated. James Clark Maxwell (1884) devised his famous equation, showing that the four basic equations of electromagnetism (one of which Maxwell invented so his equation would work, but it turned out to be correct), can be combined into a single wave equation. The speed of the wave is determined solely by a term involving known constants that appear in the original formulas. Thus, Maxwell showed that the speed of light was a constant and that its speed could be measured using electromagnetic experiments that were already in place to determine those constants. Nobody really believed that the speed was actually constant; they assumed that it was constant in some preferred reference frame, called the ether. But Michelson, together with Morley, attempting to measure the speed of the earth through the ether by measuring the speed of light in many different directions at once, found that the speed was constant in all directions. Nobody knew what to make of that in 1887. Then Lorentz gave his 3 sets of explanations to prove Maxwell’s observations. But all these three explanations were proved wrong by Einstein as he gave the theory of relativity. He believed light to be a constant at all times and abolished the idea of aether. His explanations involved the principles of Spacetime where he unified space and time to create a four-dimensional view of the universe with three dimensions of space and one dimension of time. Spacetime Einstein’s theory of special relativity created a fundamental link between space and time. The universe can be viewed as having three space dimensions — up/down, left/right, forward/backward — and one time dimension. This 4-dimensional space is referred to as the space-time continuum. If you move fast enough through space, the observations that you make about space and time differ somewhat from the observations of other people, who are moving at different speeds. According to Einstein, Space and time were a single unit and not absolute but relative. The movement in space affected the movement in time. The faster one moved through space the slower one goes through time. Thought experiment: (self-thought and data input based on other examples to explain concepts): Imagine a car moving at say a 100/s along the east direction and at zero speed toward the north direction. Then in one second it moves 100m towards east with no progress towards the north. Now say it moves north-east at the same speed. Because its speed is now diverted in two directions, it only moves 50 towards east and 50 m north. Same applies for space and time i.e. the faster you move through space the slower you pass through time. If you move at the speed of light then you make no progress in time and if you move at a speed that is greater than the speed of light, you can go back in time! Therefore, Einstein in order to measure distance between two objects chose to use a single entity called spacetime. Different observers would see different events in space in different ways. Some would see 2 events occurring at the same point in time but far apart in space, whereas other would see the same two events occur in very close to each other in space but far apart in time. Maxwell, using his 4 equations of electromagnetism proved that the speed of light was a constant. But his idea was rejected and everybody thought the speed of light was relative to a constant frame called aether. Also a concept called ether drift developed whereby light through all other media except aether would undergo a drift called ether drift opposing its speed. This was dependent on the velocity of the object. The more the velocity of the media, the less was supposed to be the speed of light through the media. Using this when Michelson, together with Morley, attempted to measure the speed of the earth through the ether by measuring the speed of light in many different directions at once, they found that the speed was constant in all directions and equal to the constant calculated by Maxwell. Now a question arose: how was this possible? The explanation to this was given by Einstein who abolished aether and said that the speed of light was a constant and through his theory of relativity demonstrated that how this was possible. To understand the fact that speed of light is a constant, we need to change our perspectives on distance and time from them being a relative quantity from a fixed quantity. This introduces to us two new concepts of time dilation and length contraction. Both time dilation and length contraction are immediate consequences of the Lorentz transformation Time Dilation Thought experiment: (taken from YouTube video on relativity) Consider this thought experiment. You and AA are in 2 different spaceships in space. Both of you are measuring trying to measure the speed of light. Your spaceship is stationary while your friend’s spaceship is moving at a constant speed, say 0.5c. To calculate time (which can be calculated by using any device that measures a certain event periodically) both of you are using 2 plates reflecting light against each other. (Look at the diagram below) Now in the (1) clock is the clock in the stationary clock i.e. the one on the stationary spaceship whereas the (2) clock is on the moving spaceship. Both clocks are identical. It is known that the speed of light is the same at all times. Therefore here in the stationary clock light moves up and down in a perpendicular distance the shortest distance. If the clock moves by 5 min every time the light touches the bottom plate then the clock would run at a certain speed and change appropriately. Now in case of the moving clock the light beam is travelling diagonally as the plates are constantly moving along with the spaceship in which they are present. Therefore the light takes a longer time to hit the bottom plate (as the speed of light is constant and light has to travel a longer path). Therefore the (2) clock runs slower than the (1) clock despite them being exactly identical. This phenomenon is known as time dilation, where the time on a ship moving very quickly appears to pass slower than on Earth. Length contraction The theory of special relativity revolutionized not just our understanding of time but our understanding of space too. I have already described the phenomenon of time dilation, whereby pairs of clocks in uniform relative motion each tick more slowly with respect to the other. A closely related effect is the phenomenon of length contraction (sometimes known as â€Å"Lorentz contraction†, â€Å"FitzGerald contraction† or even â€Å"Lorentz-FitzGerald contraction† after the physicists who predicted it on the basis of a crude forerunner of special relativity). Thought Experiment: (Taken from You tube Video But self-data input) Now in the spaceships example I have been using it can be said that if the two spaceships when at the same point i.e. when one is directly below the other and they release a beam of light and measure the speed of light after 12 seconds on the clock on the stationary ship which would be around 9 seconds on the clock aboard the moving ship if we calculate it using Lorentz’s transformations. Since the stationary ship is at rest in the space dimension therefore the rulers or any distance measuring instrument used would show that light travelled 12 light-second (the distance light travels in one second). The actual speed of light is 1light-second per second. Since the total time measured was 12 seconds. Therefore the speed would that would be calculated is 12 light second per second which is nothing but one light second per second. Since the second spaceship was moving at a speed half the speed of light it should calculate the distance of the light beam from the ship after 12 seconds on the clock aboard the stationary ship to be 6 light-second. But the actual distance measured by the rulers or any other measuring instrument onboard the moving ship will be 9 light-second. This is because of a phenomenon called length contraction. When an object moves at a very high speed i.e. a speed which is equal to or greater than 30% of c, then this length contraction can be seen up to some extent. Since the second spaceship was moving at 0.5*c, therefore the ship and all rulers or the measuring instruments used shrunk and the light beam was measured to be a distance of 9 light-second in 9 seconds, which is nothing but 1light-second per second. Conclusion As strange as it seems, this example (and many others) demonstrates that in Einstein’s theory of relativity, space and time are intimately linked together. If you apply Lorentz transformation equations, they work out so that the speed of light is perfectly consistent for both observers, i.e. one in motion at a constant speed and other stationary or at rest. This strange behavior of space and time is only evident when you’re traveling close to the speed of light, so no one had ever observed it before. Experiments carried out since Einstein’s discovery have confirmed that it’s true — time and space are perceived differently, in precisely the way Einstein described, for objects moving near the speed of light. The Consequence of Theory of Relativity: Unifying mass and energy (E=mc2) The most famous work of Einstein’s life also dates from 1905, when he applied the ideas of his relativity paper to come up with the equation E=mc2 that represents the relationship between mass (m) and energy (E). Einstein found that as an object approached the speed of light, c, the mass of the object increased. The object goes faster, but it also gets heavier. If it were actually able to move at c, the object’s mass and energy would both be infinite. A heavier object is harder to speed up, so it’s impossible to ever actually get the particle up to a speed of c. for example consider a proton accelerating towards the speed of light. As is moves closer to the speed of light its mass increases thus acting as a hindrance to the movement of the object. Until Einstein, the concepts of mass and energy were viewed as completely separate. He proved that the principles of conservation of mass and conservation of energy are part of the same larger, unified principle, and conservation of mass-energy. Matter can be turned into energy and energy can be turned into matter because a fundamental connection exists between the two types of substance. Thus if an object moves at a speed of light then it would have an infinite mass, negligible length and would make no progress in time.

Film Analysis of High and Low Essay -- Film Analysis Movies High and L

Film Analysis of High and Low Film 1010 Mise en scene is a stylistic form of filming that is French for â€Å"staging the shot†, which is referring to everything in front of the camera. Director Kurosawa understood this style and used it in High and Low (Kurosawa, 1962). He used several Mise en scene techniques such as closed composition, space manipulation, and lighting to compliment the crime thriller story. Closed composition is one of the main themes that Kurosawa uses throughout the movie. He chooses to keep the scenes tight and in close quarters mostly. This is seen predominately in the first half on the movie. Here the action takes place in Mr. Gondo’s house on top of a hill. The viewer has very little idea that there is much of a world outside the house. This idea is supported when Mr. Gondo has to close all the drapes in the house to prevent the kidnapper from looking into the house. This gives a mood and feeling of anxiety from being enclosed. Also, shots of the house sitting on top of the hill give the feeling of loneliness. This feeling is repeated in the bullet train sequence where the quarters are much smaller. The viewer is somewhat relieved with the view of the outside, but because of the close quarters and the sense of a speeding train, it does not allow the viewer to enjoy the openness the windows provide. A scene that clearly shows the Mise en scene style is the next day comes and Mr. Gondo must now decide whether to pay the ransom or not. We see and hear the argument with Mr. Gondo and Mrs. Gondo, with Mr. Aoki crying to the far left of the scene. Soon the dialog ends and we see Mr. Aoki still to the far left, Mrs. Gondo with Jun in the middle, and Mr. Gondo to the far right. Clearly separating them are the detectives who are standing silently with their heads down. The placement of the detectives manipulates the space in the scene into thirds. It also helps in emphasizing the differences between the three characters regarding what should be done about getting Mr. Aoki’s son back from the kidnapper. In the scene where two of the detectives find the man and woman dead, we see the detectives enclosed in the window of the house where, we the viewers are looking in. This is the closed form composition, which is used to help focus the viewers’ attention on the characters. In doing so, the characters’ surprise reactions... ...arly being used as a separation between Mr. Gondo and the police. That, with the combination of the lack of furniture, along with the predominance of white created by the light in the house enforces the tone of emptiness and loneliness that the viewer feels. Finally, the last few scenes show desperation by the kidnapper. Mr. Gondo and the kidnapper are sitting across from each other in a closed off room. The room gives the feeling of being trapped along with the wire mesh and window separating them. Here the viewer can see the reflection of whom the character is talking to so that we can see the expression from what is being said. Plus by being in such a small room, the emotions seem to be increased as the kidnapper releases his own emotions to Mr. Gondo. We have seen that Kurosawa used many techniques of the mise en scene throughout High and Low. The use of the closed stylistic form along with the lighting and space manipulation of characters and objects help increase the intense emotion of the film as well as help the viewer focus on key points and characters. This ultimately moved the story forward and complimented the crime thriller categorization of the film.

Annotated Bibliography by Kapil Muradhia Professor

Kapil Muradhia Professor- Danielle Cochran English-101. 600 September 16th 2012 Annotated Bibliography In 20th century, every human being on the earth is familiar with television, internet and other form of media. We can see the effect of these forms of the electronic media in our daily life. It is helpful to us in lot of ways. The following bibliography reveals the different aspects of electronic media. Bissel, Tom. â€Å"Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter† † They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff.New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 349-362. Tom Bissell in â€Å"Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter† emphasize the importance of video games in our life. Tom supports his affection with the video games by telling his story with a popular video game â€Å"Fallout-3†. He also compares different modes of entertainment, like movies and novels, with video games. According to Tom, Storytelling is the most important t hing for the movies, novels and video games, but video games storytelling is counterfeit.Tome states, even though the video games are frustrating sometimes but he will keep returning to this form of entertainment. Gladwell, Malcolm. â€Å"Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted† They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 312-328. Print. Malcolm Gladwell in his article â€Å"Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted† explains the point that why we don’t need to tweet the revolution on social media.To prove his point, he takes the example of a Black revolution from 1960. Malcolm points out, how a revolution started by four students became huge without the help of any social media. Malcolm also believes in power of social media. Any revolution can turn into bigger size, if social media is used, according to Malcolm. Malcolm states that Facebook and Twitter are tools for keeping up with the people you would never meet or following the people you never met. Stein,Jeannine. â€Å"Watching T. V Shortens Life Span, Study Finds†.Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, January 12, 2010. Web. January 18, 2010. In â€Å"watching T. V Shortens Life Span, Study Finds† Jeannine Stein reveals the fact that how watching T. V every day is shortening our life span. Australian Heart Association conducted a study on 8800 men and women and they found that eighty five percent of them, who were watching T. V for one hour every day, were patient of obesity and diabetes. Jeannine says that watching T. V for one hour every day will raise the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18%.Jeannine believes that we need to spend our time in some physical activities rather than sitting in front of T. V. Johnson, Steven. † Watching T. V Makes You Smarter† They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 277-294. Print. â€Å"Watching T. V. Makes You Smarter† by Steven Johnson is an idea that if we watch T. V, it will make us smarter. In order to support his idea, Steven is comparing the different television shows shown in different time period in the United States television history.Steven is trying to prove, what is good for our children and what is not. Steven believes that television is a tool of brain enhancement. Steven states that instead of keeping the kids away from violent shows or tawdry content, the real challenge for the parents should be whether a given show engages or sedates the mind. Steven believes that smart culture is not something that we force on our children, it is something we share. Stevens, Dana. † Think Outside The Idiot Box† They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff.New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012 295-298. Print. Dana Steven’s â€Å"Thinki ng outside the Idiot Box† is a huge criticism of the idea that watching TV makes us smarter. Dana believes that if watching TV makes us smarter then we need to watch a lot of TV or watching TV should be the only thing to do in our life. Dana states that grown-ups should be trusted to judge their own shows. According to Dana, she would love to watch a lot of TV, if she gets paid for it. Dana thinks that the idea of considering the T. V. as tool of brain enhancement is hilarious.

Animal Farm Themes, Symbols, Allegory

George Orwells Animal Farm is a political allegory about revolution and power. Through the tale of a group of farm animals who overthrow the owner of the farm, Animal Farm explores themes of totalitarianism, the corruption of ideals, and the power of language. Political Allegory Orwell frames his story as a political allegory; every character represents a figure from the Russian Revolution. Mr. Jones, the original human owner of the farm, represents the ineffective and incompetent Czar Nicholas II. The pigs represent key members of Bolshevik leadership: Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin, Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, and Squealer represents Vyacheslav Molotov. Other animals represent the working classes of Russia: initially passionate about revolution eventually manipulated into supporting a regime that was just as incompetent and arguably more brutal than the previous one. Totalitarianism Orwell argues that any revolution led by a small, conspiratorial group can only degenerate into oppression and tyranny. He makes this argument through the allegory of the farm. The revolution begins with firm principles of equality and justice, and initially, the results are positive, as the animals get to labor for their own direct benefit. However, as Orwell demonstrates, revolutionary leaders can become as corrupt and incompetent as the government they overthrew. The pigs adopt the human ways they once fiercely opposed (drinking whiskey, sleeping in beds), and they make business deals with farmers that benefit them alone. Meanwhile, the other animals see only negative changes in their lives. They continue to support Napoleon and work harder than ever despite the decline in quality of living. Eventually, the promises of heated stalls and electric light—what theyve been working for all along—become fantasy. Animal Farm suggests that totalitarianism and hypocrisy are endemic to the human condition. Without education and true empowerment of the lower classes, Orwell argues, society will always default to tyranny. Corruption of Ideals The pigs’ descent into corruption is a key element of the novel. Orwell, a socialist, believed the Russian Revolution had been corrupted by power-seekers like Stalin from the start. The animals revolution is initially led by Snowball, the key architect of Animalism; at first, Napoleon is a secondary player, much like Stalin. However, Napoleon plots in secret to seize power and drive Snowball away, undermining Snowballs policies and training the dogs to be his enforcers. The principles of equality and solidarity that inspired the animals become mere tools for Napoleon to seize power. The gradual erosion of these values reflects Orwell’s criticism of Stalin as nothing more than a tyrant hanging onto power through the fiction of a communist revolution. Orwell doesn’t reserve his vitriol for the leaders, however. The animals representing the people of Russia are depicted as complicit in this corruption through inaction, fear, and ignorance. Their dedication to Napoleon and the imaginary benefits of his leadership enable the pigs to maintain their hold on power, and the ability of the pigs to convince the other animals that their lives were better even as their lives become demonstrably worse is Orwell’s condemnation of the choice to submit to propaganda and magical thinking. Power of Language Animal Farm explores how propaganda can be used to control people. From the start of the novel, Orwell depicts the animals being manipulated by common propaganda techniques, including songs, slogans, and ever-changing information. Singing Beasts of England evokes an emotional response that reinforces the animals loyalty to both Animalism and the pigs. The adoption of slogans like Napoleon is always right or four legs good, two legs bad demonstrates their unfamiliarity with the complex philosophical and political concepts underlying the revolution. The constant alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism demonstrates how those in control of information can manipulate the rest of a population. The pigs, who serve as the leaders of the farm, are the only animals with a strong command of language. Snowball is an eloquent speaker who composes the philosophy of Animalism and persuades his fellow beasts with the power of his oratory. Squealer is adept at lying and spinning stories to maintain control. (For example, when the other animals are upset about Boxer’s cruel fate, Squealer quickly composes a fiction to defuse their anger and confuse the issue.) Napoleon, while not as smart or as eloquent as Snowball, is skilled at imposing his own false view on everyone around him, as when he falsely inserts himself into the historical record of the Battle of the Cowshed. Symbols As an allegorical novel, Animal Farm is rife with symbolism. Just as the animals represent individuals or groups from Russian history, the farm itself represents Russia, and the surrounding farms represent the European powers that witnessed the Russian Revolution. Orwell’s choices about which objects, events, or concepts to highlight are not driven by plot as in narrative fiction. Instead, his choices are carefully calibrated to evoke a desired response from the reader. Whiskey Whiskey represents corruption. When Animalism is founded, one of the commandments is ‛No animal shall drink alcohol.’ Slowly, however, Napoleon and the other pigs come to enjoy whiskey and its effects. The commandment is changed to ‛No animal shall drink alcohol to excess’ after Napoleon experiences his first hangover and learns how to moderate his whiskey consumption. When Boxer is sold to the Knacker, Napoleon uses the money to purchase whiskey. With this act, Napoleon fully embodies the human qualities that the animals once revolted against. The Windmill The windmill represents the attempt to modernize Russia and the general incompetence of Stalin’s regime. Snowball initially proposes the Windmill as a way of improving the farm’s living conditions; when Snowball is driven off, Napoleon claims it as his own idea, but his mismanagement of the project and the attacks from other landowners mean the project takes far longer to complete than expected. The final product is of inferior quality, much like many of the projects undertaken by the Soviets post-revolution. In the end the Windmill is used to enrich Napoleon and the other pigs at the expense of the other animals. The Commandments The Seven Commandments of Animalism, written on the barn wall for all to see, represent the power of propaganda and the malleable nature of history and information when the people are ignorant of the facts. The commandments are altered throughout the novel; each time they are changed indicates that the animals have moved even further away from their original principles.