Category Archives: Relativity

What a drag: Arago’s Experiment (1810)

Posted on July 5, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Note: This post is my contribution to the first-ever edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, a new blog event compiling posts concerning classic science papers. I’ve been meaning to get back to my series of posts on relativity, but things have … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Optics, Physics, Relativity | 20 Comments

Relativity: Measuring the speed of light

Posted on March 21, 2008 by skullsinthestars

When I was an undergraduate, one of my professors told the following funny (and probably apocryphal) anecdote (recalled from memory): A court case was being tried in New Mexico. A group of pornographers were charged with smuggling pornography from Mexico … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics, Physics, Relativity | 20 Comments

Relativity: Newtonian relativity

Posted on February 19, 2008 by skullsinthestars

In the first post on Einstein’s relativity, we discussed the discoveries and theories which served as the precursors to Einstein’s work. The most significant of these is Newton’s own version of relativity, now dubbed ‘Newtonian relativity’. Before we continue a … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Relativity | 6 Comments

The pre-history of Einstein’s relativity

Posted on February 12, 2008 by skullsinthestars

I’m planning to do a long-term series of posts on Einstein’s relativity, starting with the special theory and progressing to the general theory (if you don’t know what the difference is, that’s okay, ’cause I’m gonna explain it all, eventually). … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Relativity | 10 Comments