A Replacement to Writing? 2005/2006

Special Relativity

Special Relativity is both interesting and confusing.
Do you know that if you took a trip to the stars, travelling at a speed a significant fraction of the speed of light, you would age less than the people on earth? I don't want to grow old, maybe I should try it.
Anyway this thing that happens, does not conform to the first postulate of relativity, i.e the laws of physics are the same for all inertial observers.
Gosh, I can put a name to the times when the pitch of the siren of an ambulance or passing police car sounds lower when further off and higher when nearer. That name is the Doppler Effect.
Ok, but I still do not understand the Relativistic Doppler Effect which basically explains the effect of why light looks bluer if we approach the source, and redder when moving away from the source. I thought they just said all observers should see the same speed of light (2nd rule of postulates of relativity), then now it is "affected by the relative velocities"??
Then I have to do that chemistry thing that I hated in A-levels again. Atomic Orbitals.
Oh, nice colour (in the notes, not in real life, I think) and shapes of orbitals (in real life) alright, (You would be surprised at how an atom looked) but difficult to imagine for me.
Sorry lah, I have poor imagination (wonder why I'm in arts), that's why I prefer physics. In the end also overlap! See, there is no clear line drawn between the sciences. Sigh, guess no choice.

Physics tutorial tomorrow! Yay! Bombard the tutor with questions . . .

posted by tstar @ 9:42 AM