Relativity in brief... or in detail..
Galileo Maxwell Einstein Time Dilation E = mc^2 Galileo Maxwell Einstein Time Dilation E = mc^2 Beyond Relativity Summary Quiz Credits Feedback AwardsReviews physics
Einstein's theory of special relativity includes electricity and magnetism in a simple, logical extension of the relativity of Galileo and Newton. Its conclusions, including time dilation, length contraction, and E=mc2 have changed profoundly our ideas of time and space, matter and energy.
The multimedia modules give a brief overview of relativity - they present the main ideas. Inevitably, you will have questions. So the related links (below) give more complete explanations, at levels with () or without mathematics ().

The multimedia modules have animations and film clips and are typically 2Mb. The much smaller HTML versions have only text and images. We are currently replacing the remaining Flash objects (.swf) with .mp4.

Related Links for each module:-

1. GALILEO - Mechanics and Galilean relativity (Video here, html version here)

Related Links

Galilean relativity

2. MAXWELL - Electricity, magnetism and relativity (Video here, html version here)

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Electromagnetism and Galilean Relativity

3. EINSTEIN - The principle of Special Relativity (Video here, html version here)

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Einstein's principle of Special Relativity

4. TIME DILATION - How relativity implies time dilation and length contraction (Video here, html version here)

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Relativistic Time Dilation

5. E = mc2 - How relativistic mechanics leads to E = mc2 (Video here, html version here)

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Relativistic mechanics
6. BEYOND RELATIVITY. (Video here, html version here)

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Beyond Relativity
Summary (still to be translated from Flash)

Quiz

Acknowledgments and credits

Written and presented by Joe Wolfe
Produced and animated by George Hatsidimitris

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