Physics A5 vocabulary

Inertial Reference Frame

A non-accelerating frame which newton’s laws of motion can be applied.

Maxwell’s equations

An electromagnetic radiation is a wave with a speed of c (speed of light).

Einstein’s first postulation

Laws of physics are identical (invariant) in all inertial reference frames.

Einstein’s second postulation

The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant in all inertial reference frames.

Simultaneity

Two events might be simultaneous for one observer but occur at different times for another observer.

If two or more events occur at the same place and time then they are simultaneous for all observer in all reference frames.

Proper time

Time interval between two events measured in a frame where the two events occur at the same location.

Proper length

Length of an object measured in a frame where the object is stationary.