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Summer Science Program

Einstein’s Relativity: A Primer with
Mike Lawrence
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Mike Lawrence returns to the Library after giving a series of very popular talks on Astrophysics last year.

This year’s four-part presentation is a beginner’s guide to the background, development, and consequences of the major ideas in Special and General Relativity. Topics include Simultaneity, Time Dilation, The Twin Paradox, Length Contraction, Mass-Energy Equivalence, The Equivalence Principle, Gravitational Time Dilation, and the Curvature of Space. No math background is required (but a little can be helpful). References will be provided for further study.

Part I: Special Relativity on Thursdays, August 3 & 17, 2017
Part II: General Relativity on Thursdays, August 24 & 31, 2017


​Mike received his doctorate in Physics Education from Rutgers University. He spent 15 years as the co-director of the Rutgers Astrophysics Institute, an NSF and NASA funded program. Mike’s research has been published in journals such as The Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Physics Education. He is the 2013 winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the nation’s highest honor for K-12 math and science teachers; and the winner of the 2013 M.I.T. Inspirational Teacher award. Mike taught physics for 40 years at West Orange High School in West Orange, NJ. He retired in 2014.

Relativity References

Picture
Books:
Einstein: His Life & Universe by Walter Isaacson
Black Holes & Time Warps by Kip Thorne

Coursera (online courses):
Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity
ntroduction into General Theory of Relativity
YouTube:
Special Relativity Frame of Essence (a set of 5 “chapters” labeled SR0 thru SR4)

PBS Digital Studios/Space Time/General Relativity… watch in the following order:
1. Are Space and Time an Illusion?
2. Is Gravity an Illusion?
3. Can a Circle be a Straight Line?
4. Can You Trust Your Eyes in Spacetime?
5. General Relativity and Curved Spacetime Explained

General Relativity 1 (David Butler) (also known as How Fast Is It – 04)

Web Sites:
Einstein for Everyone http://www.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/index.html
Galileo & Einstein http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/home.html
​Einstein’s Field Equation Explained http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160120-the-most-beautiful-equation-is-einsteinsfield-equation Einstein On-line (Elementary Einstein & Spotlights on Relativity) http://www.einstein-online.info/elementary
                                               

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Rensselaerville, NY 12147
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info@rensselaervillelibrary.org
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