Introduction to Special Relativity

A man standing in front of a blackboard.

Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921. (Image is in the public domain.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

8.20

As Taught In

January IAP 2021

Level

Undergraduate

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Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

The theory of special relativity, originally proposed by Albert Einstein in his famous 1905 paper, has had profound consequences on our view of physics, space, and time. This course will introduce you to the concepts behind special relativity including, but not limited to, length contraction, time dilation, the Lorentz transformation, relativistic kinematics, Doppler shifts, and even so-called “paradoxes.”

Related Content

Markus Klute. 8.20 Introduction to Special Relativity. January IAP 2021. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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