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| FIZ4027 | Special Relativity | 3+0+0 | ECTS:6 | | Year / Semester | Fall Semester | | Level of Course | First Cycle | | Status | Elective | | Department | DEPARTMENT of PHYSICS | | Prerequisites and co-requisites | None | | Mode of Delivery | | | Contact Hours | 14 weeks - 3 hours of lectures per week | | Lecturer | Prof. Dr. Mehmet DEMİRCİ | | Co-Lecturer | | | Language of instruction | Turkish | | Professional practise ( internship ) | None | | | | The aim of the course: | | The aim of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental postulates, concepts, and mathematical tools of Special Relativity (Lorentz transformations, four-vectors, and tensors), and to equip them with the ability to apply this theory to problems in relativistic particle mechanics (conservation of energy and momentum) and electromagnetism (Maxwell's equations). |
| Learning Outcomes | CTPO | TOA | | Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be able to : | | | | LO - 1 : | Know the limits of Newtonian mechanics. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | LO - 2 : | Define concepts such as inertial frame of reference, principle of relativity, invariant, and covariant. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | LO - 3 : | Explain the postulates of special relativity. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | LO - 4 : | Know the properties of Lorentz transformations. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | LO - 5 : | Use four-vector notation. | 1 - 2 | | | LO - 6 : | Apply the conservation of relativistic energy and momentum in particle collisions. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | LO - 7 : | Have general knowledge about tensors. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | LO - 8 : | Write Maxwell's equations in four-vector notation. | 1 - 2 | 1, | | CTPO : Contribution to programme outcomes, TOA :Type of assessment (1: written exam, 2: Oral exam, 3: Homework assignment, 4: Laboratory exercise/exam, 5: Seminar / presentation, 6: Term paper), LO : Learning Outcome | | |
| Foundations and postulates of special relativity; derivation, properties, and velocity transformation applications of Lorentz transformations; light cone and proper time concepts; relativistic optics, relativistic Doppler effect, and stellar aberration; spacetime geometry and four-vector notation (four-velocity and four-acceleration); relativistic energy and momentum; particle collisions and threshold energy calculations; the concept of force in relativistic mechanics; the electromagnetic field tensor and the formulation of Maxwell's equations in four-vector (covariant) notation. |
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| Course Syllabus | | Week | Subject | Related Notes / Files | | Week 1 | Foundations of special relativity | | | Week 2 | Derivation and properties of Lorentz transformations | | | Week 3 | Velocity transformations and their applications | | | Week 4 | Light cone and proper time | | | Week 5 | Relativistic optics and relativistic Doppler effect | | | Week 6 | Aberration relation and stellar aberration | | | Week 7 | Space-time and four-vector notation | | | Week 8 | Four-velocity and four-acceleration | | | Week 9 | Midterm exam | | | Week 10 | Relativistic energy and momentum | | | Week 11 | Relativistic collisions and threshold energies | | | Week 12 | Relativistic collisions and threshold energies | | | Week 13 | Force in relativistic mechanics | | | Week 14 | Electromagnetic field tensor | | | Week 15 | Maxwell's equations in four-vector notation | | | Week 16 | Final exam | | | |
| 1 | E. F. Taylor and J.A. Wheeler,Spacetime Physics: Introduction to Special Relativity, Second Edition, W.H. Freeman and Company, 1992. | | | 2 | A. P. French, Special Relativity, The MIT Introductory Physics Series, Norton, 1968. | | | 3 | R. Resnick, Introduction to Special Relativity, John Wiley&Sons, 1968. | | | |
| 1 | W. Rindler, Relativity: Special, General, and Cosmological, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2006. | | | 2 | E. Rizaoglu, N. Sünel, "Klasik Mekanik Ozel Gorecelik Kurami ve Nonlineer Dinamiğe Giris ile Genisletilmis", 2011 | | | |
| Method of Assessment | | Type of assessment | Week No | Date | Duration (hours) | Weight (%) | | Mid-term exam | 9 | 22/11/2025 | 2 | 50 | | End-of-term exam | 16 | 09/01/2026 | 2 | 50 | | |
| Student Work Load and its Distribution | | Type of work | Duration (hours pw) | No of weeks / Number of activity | Hours in total per term | | Yüz yüze eğitim | 3 | 14 | 42 | | Sınıf dışı çalışma | 3 | 14 | 42 | | Arasınav için hazırlık | 5 | 8 | 40 | | Arasınav | 2 | 1 | 2 | | Dönem sonu sınavı için hazırlık | 5 | 6 | 30 | | Dönem sonu sınavı | 2 | 1 | 2 | | Total work load | | | 158 |
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