Relativity Handout

for use with

Mechanical Universe Film #42 - The Lorentz Transformation

Name: _________________________ Date:_________________

• READ ALL THE QUESTIONS BELOW BEFORE WATCHING THE FILM SO YOU KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR.

To view the film:

You will watch a half-hour film(from"The Mechanical Universe"series)and answer some questions.Here is one link to that film:

https://archive.org/details/The_Mechanical_Universe_and_Beyond_42_The_Lorentz_Transformation

Questions:

1. Do observers moving at different speeds relative to each other measure different speeds for
2. a train passing by? YES /NO (CIRCLE ONE)

1. the speed of light? YES /NO (CIRCLE ONE)

1. Approximately how big is the Lorentz contraction for the Earth as it travels around the sun?

1. About as long as the length of a train.

1. About as long as the width of a blade of grass.

1. About as long as the width of the state of New York.

1. Does motion in the horizontal (x) direction affect length in the y- and z-directions?

1. What were the two assumptions that Einstein used to build his theory?

1. What are two of the basic outcomes of relativity theory in terms of moving lengths and clocks?