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Relativity

Imagine this: You can fit a 10 m pole in a barn half the size. Your twin is now 10 years older than you, but you didn't use a time machine. And no matter how fast you run, you can never reach the speed of light. How can you explain these scenarios? In this 5-hour, two day seminar, we use thought experiments like these and other tools to explore Einstein's theory of special relativity. We introduce Einstein's two postulates and explore the counterintuitive effects of time dilation, length contraction, and relativity of simultaneity. The class concludes with a look at spacetime diagrams and several challenging paradoxes of relativity.

4 days
4 days  

Schedule

Mon, Tue, Wed & Thurs
Jul 29 - Aug 1 		7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Jul 29 - Aug 1
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
Andrew Sayler $145
$145
ENROLL

AoPS Holidays

There are no classes May 25 ‐ 27, July 4, August 30 ‐ September 2, October 31, November 25 ‐ December 1, and December 21, 2024 ‐ January 3, 2025.

Lessons

Lesson 1 The Principle of Relativity
Lesson 2 The Speed of Light and Time Dilation
Lesson 3 Length Contraction and Simultaneity
Lesson 4 Paradoxes

This course has given me a confidence in math that I have never before had in my life. Everything about AoPS is different from the math that schools teach, even in the most elite courses. The explanation of concepts is different, and there are more challenging problems than just plugging values into a formula to find an answer. While I do have to admit that I have been pushed over and over again to the peak of my mathematical ability, I have also begun to see math, particularly geometry, as more of an art that I have begun to enjoy more and more. I feel that I am very lucky to have found AoPS, even if my age is older than most of the students in this course.