Course Description

The course will examine a number of issues concerning the mathematical and philosophical foundations of the special theory of relativity. The emphasis throughout will be on the "geometrical" approach to the theory, and considerable class time will be devoted to a careful study of Minkowski geometry, and its relations to both Euclidean and non-Euclidean (Lobatchevskian) plane geometry. (One of the nicest routes to the latter is via special relativity.)

The course will not presuppose any specific course work in physics, but will take for granted familiarity with calculus and elementary linear algebra. More advanced prior training in mathematics and/or physics will certainly be helpful.

For further information and a syllabus, see the Course Webpage