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16. Conclusion
I hope I have succeeded in giving you a flavor of Einstein's
special theory of relativity.
Key points I would like you to take home with you are:
-
The
speed of light is
constant regardless of the
inertial frame in which it is measured. All of the theory's
conclusions are derived from this simple experimental fact.
-
Simultaneity is a relative concept.
The chronological order
in which two events occurred may depend on the frame
of the observer.
-
Faster than light speed travel or communication is impossible.
(Otherwise, causality will be broken.)
-
Interesting phenomena like
time dilation and
Lorentz contraction
have been predicted and observed.
(Oops! I should have told you HOW they were observed.
Oh, well. I'll do it another time.)
-
Physics is fun!
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