In a recent paper in this journal1 we presented work on the creation and use of Physlet-based2 exercises to teach physical and wave optics. Since then we have developed ready-to-run exercises for introductory physics3,4 and have developed Physlet-based exercises for more advanced topics such as quantum mechanics. In this paper we describe the materials we have created to aid in the teaching and learning of introductory special relativity. There are many reasons to focus on special relativity. Special relativity is the first topic presented in the modern physics section of introductory physics courses and in the sophomore-level modern physics course. It is full of (apparent) paradoxes, and like quantum mechanics, is one of the intriguing theories that continues to captivate students' interest in physics. In addition, because special relativity focuses on abstract concepts, the visualization that Physlet-based material provides is especially valuable.

Topics
General relativity, Special relativity, Physical optics, Educational aids, Educational assessment, Teaching, Abstracts
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W. Christian and M. Belloni, Physlet® Physics: Interactive Illustrations, Explorations, and Problems for Introductory Physics (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004).
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T.A. Moore, Six Ideas That Shaped Physics, Unit R: The Laws of Physics Are Frame-Independent, 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill, New York, 2003).
12.
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15.
Another way to do this is to synchronize all of the clocks at the location of the master clock and then slowly move all of the clocks into place, so that we do not incur any time-dilation errors due to their transport. An animated version of this method can be found on our website.
16.
E.F. Taylor and J.A. Wheeler, Exploring Black Holes: An Introduction to General Relativity (Addison-Wesley Longman, New York, 2000).
17.
For all of the algebra, either visit the full exercise on our website or see pages 26–29 of Ref. 10.
18.
In “An introduction to space-time diagrams,” Am. J. Phys. 65, 476 (1997), Mermin suggests that the axes in spacetime diagrams are not necessary and are actually a source of confusion for students.
19.
The Open Source Physics code library, documentation, and curricular material can be downloaded from the website: http://www.opensourcephysics.org/default.html.
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© 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2004
American Association of Physics Teachers
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