Special Relativity

winter term 2025/26.

Lecturer: Thore Posske
Lectures: Tuesdays, 4:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., Jungiusstr. 11, room A208
No lecture: Oct 21 (online material), Dec 24, Dec 31 (Christmas break)
Last lecture: Tue, Jan 27, 2026

Script

General info about the course
Current version of this course's handwritten script
Script from previous lecture (Pfannkuche)

Content

Lecture 4 (Nov 11)
Measuring lengths in Minkowski diagrams, Lorentz boost
Script 4
Lecture 3 (Nov 4)
Minkowski diagrams, two inertial frames of reference
Script 3
Lecture 2 (Oct 28)
Time dilation, Lorentz contraction, long-distance space travel
Script 2
Lecture 1 (Oct 14)
Motivation, structure of course, frames of reference, events, constant speed of light, simultaneity
Script 1

less

Student teaching units and lecture plan

The students prepare teaching units that evaluated as passed and not passed, see
List of projects/talks.
Each teaching unit lasts 20 (single) or 30 (team) minutes, and is discussed afterwards. Feel free to propose your own topics.
DEADLING FOR CHOOSING PROJECTS IS OCT 21.

date	topic	who
Oct. 14	Only lecture
Oct. 21	No lecture
Oct. 28	Only lecture
Nov. 4	inertial frames of reference and events	MP
Nov. 11	Einstein's postulates	SBE and TJ
Nov. 18	simultaneity	JF and EV
Nov. 25	time dilation	CSR and BA
Dec. 2	length contraction	LA and JW
Dec. 9	Lorentz transformation	TS and JR
Dec. 16	relativistic collision	LB and DL
Jan. 6	E=mc²	KN and AK
Jan. 13	(1) Nuclear fission, (2) Nuclear fusion	(1) MS and FB (2) MN and SK
Jan. 20	(1) Special relativity and GPS, (2) Twin paradox	(1) KW (2) KE and MS
Jan. 27	Final discussions

Additional material

Cheat Sheet - Formelsammlung

Please send equations for the cheat sheet to Thore Posske. The final sheet can be downloaded here:
Cheat sheet - Formelsammlung

External links

Einstein and simultanaeity clip
Das siehst du bei 99% Lichtgeschwindigkeit

Other ressources

Modulhandbuch Vorlesung La-Ba
Bildungspläne Hamburg
Bildungspläne Schleswig-Holstein