Importance of an Astrophysical Perspective for Textbook Relativity

Details Importance of an Astrophysical Perspective for Textbook Relativity Importance of an Astrophysical Perspective for Textbook Relativity

1997-12-31

arxiv.org/abs/physics/9712053v1

(1998) Eur. Journ. of Phys, 19, 195

Physics

Physics Education

5 pages TeX, European Journal of Physics, in press

Scientific paper

10.1088/0143-0807/19/2/014

The importance of a teaching a clear definition of the ``observer'' in special relativity is highlighted using a simple astrophysical example from the exciting current research area of ``Gamma-Ray Burst'' astrophysics. The example shows that a source moving relativistically toward a single observer at rest exhibits a time ``contraction'' rather than a ``dilation'' because the light travel time between the source and observer decreases with time. Astrophysical applications of special relativity complement idealized examples with real applications and very effectively exemplify the role of a finite light travel time.

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