Lily Lamb

Mr. Yackuboskey
Honors Physics
May 2, 2018

Special Relativity and Velocities

The value of a velocity is not constant when viewed by different spectators who inhabit

different frames of reference. This was understood, described, and developed throughout the

history of physics. However, I feel that it may not be so well known amongst students of physics

on a level such as my own. I did not know the story of Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity

until conducting my research for this paper. After discovering it, however, I can understand how

the nature of this class has fairly neglected it.

The Theory of Special Relativity was built from Einstein’s realization that while it must

be true that velocities are dependent on the reference point of the observer, as was accepted at the

time, it was also true that this idea could not apply to light. In doing so, Einstein came to entirely

rewrite the classical equation, u = v + u’, to take the special case of the constant speed of light

into account: u = v + u’ / 1 + (vu’ / c squared). (Special Theory of Relativity: Adding Velocities)

So, as Einstein was able to justify with his theory of Special Relativity, the velocity of

light is absolute, and all other velocities are relative. This is a facet of physics that was almost

completely overlooked in all our studies. For the sake of simplicity, we don’t make use of

Einstein’s revised equation. We already commonly neglect the possibility of varying reference

points to a velocity, and we certainly don’t much branch into how light is affected by the laws

we learn of. In this way, among others, our study of physics falls short of revealing the full
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picture. We learn in a way that helps us to understand the basics of our universe and experiment

with the laws that can be represented in a classroom, but we do not uncover the bigger ideas, or

the laws and relationships that can not be illustrated with a ramp or pendulum. For the

understanding of physics that our class is trying to build, the history of physics and the nature of

light are not major focuses. (Relativity)

However, despite our restricted curriculum, the basics of these ideas of velocity are not

entirely foreign. For, these laws and tendencies are all around us, playing into our everyday. So,

it also must be said that my first experience with the laws of special relativity and the velocity of

light is not entirely sourced from the research I have recently conducted on the topic, for I have

had experience with it throughout the whole of my life. The velocities of most objects do appear

different from different perspectives. This can be proven by any manner of situations consisting

of anything from bicycles to airplanes, and, in much the same way as these objective velocities

can be noticed, the constant velocity of light can be too. Whenever you turn on any sort of light,

overhead or handheld, the room on whole is immediately lit up; the velocity of light is obviously

consistent. So, in retrospect, all this points perfectly back to the fact that, yes, in our classroom-

conducted study of physics, things such as velocity are simplified, and this simplification may

often lead to our understanding being wrong to the truth, or our understanding being extremely

limited.
 Works Cited

Norton, John D. “Special Theory of Relativity: Adding Velocities.” Special Relativity Adding

Velocities, pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/Special_relativity_adding/index.html.

Perkowitz, Sidney. “Relativity.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Nov.

2017, www.britannica.com/science/relativity#ref252878.

“Special Relativity and Velocities.” Physics, by Raymond A. Serway and Jerry S. Faughn, Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2016, pp. 106–107.

“Special Relativity.” Special Relativity, 10 Apr. 1998, physics.bu.edu/py106/notes/Relativity.html.