From Mica
Time Dilation and Simultaneity in Special Relativity
Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity is one of the bedrocks of modern science. It's an extremely well-tested theory that underlies much of our understanding of the Universe. Yet, it remains a difficult to understand mystery to many people. In this talk, I'll show how the basic assumptions of Einstein's theory lead to the conclusion that moving clocks run slow, and that whether or not two events happen at the same time depend on how you are moving relative to them. All of this may be understood without any recourse to mathematics. As a bonus, I will show how with only an understanding of early high-school level algebra, you can actually derive the formula for how slow moving clocks run given the basic tenets of Special Relativity.
Media
Slides (PDF Format)
Audio Recording (MP3)