Physics Class-11

Unit
13 Relativity
SHORT QUESTION AND ANSWERS
1. What is relativity?
Ans: A theory in physics that describes how space, time, and gravity work, primarily
developed by Albert Einstein.
2. What are the two types of relativity?
Ans:  Special Relativity (1905): Deals with objects moving at constant speeds,
especially near the speed of light.
 General Relativity (1915): Extends to accelerating frames and explains
gravity as the curvature of spacetime.

3. What is the main idea of Special Relativity?

Ans: The laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames, and the speed of light is
constant in a vacuum.
4. What is an inertial frame of reference?
Ans: A frame of reference that is either at rest or moving at a constant velocity (no
acceleration).
5. What is the speed of light in relativity?
Ans: A constant value (≈ 3 × 10⁸ m/s) and the maximum speed at which information
or matter can travel.
6. What is time dilation?
Ans: Time slows down for an object in motion relative to an observer, as described
by the Lorentz factor.
7. What is length contraction?
Ans: Objects in motion appear shorter in the direction of motion relative to an
observer.
8. What is the equivalence of mass and energy?
Ans: Expressed by E=mc2, where energy (E) and mass (m) are interchangeable.

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9. What is the principle of relativity?

Ans: The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion (inertial
frames).
10. What is the difference between Special and General Relativity?
Ans: Special Relativity deals with constant velocities and flat spacetime, while
General Relativity includes acceleration and curved spacetime due to gravity.
11. What is spacetime?
Ans: A four-dimensional continuum combining three spatial dimensions and one
time dimension.
12. What is the significance of cc in relativity?
Ans: c (speed of light) is a universal constant and the ultimate speed limit in the
universe.
13. What is the twin paradox?
Ans: A thought experiment where one twin traveling at near-light speed ages slower
than the other twin who remains on Earth.
14. What is the role of gravity in General Relativity?
Ans: Gravity is explained as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.
15. Why is relativity important?
Ans: It revolutionized physics by redefining concepts of space, time, and gravity, and
is essential for understanding the universe at high speeds or large scales.
16. What is a frame of reference?
Ans: A coordinate system or set of axes used to describe the position, motion, or
orientation of objects.
17. What are the two types of frames of reference?
Ans:  Inertial frame of reference (no acceleration).
 Non-inertial frame of reference (with acceleration).
18. What is an inertial frame of reference?
Ans: A frame where Newton's laws hold true, and no external force is acting
(constant velocity or at rest).

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19. What is a non-inertial frame of reference?

Ans: A frame that is accelerating or rotating, where fictitious forces (like centrifugal
force) appear.
20. Why is a frame of reference important?
Ans: It provides a basis for measuring and describing motion or position accurately.
21. Can motion be absolute without a frame of reference?
Ans: No, motion is always relative to a chosen frame of reference.
22. What is a rest frame?
Ans: A frame where the object being observed is at rest.
23. What is the Earth's frame of reference?
Ans: A non-inertial frame due to its rotation and orbital motion around the Sun.
24. How does a frame of reference affect motion?
Ans: Motion appears different depending on the observer's frame (e.g., a ball thrown
in a moving train).
25. What is a Galilean transformation?
Ans: A method to convert coordinates between inertial frames moving at constant
velocity relative to each other.
26. What is the Special Theory of Relativity?
Ans: A theory proposed by Einstein in 1905 that describes the laws of physics in
inertial frames of reference, especially at high velocities close to the speed of
light.
27. What are the two postulates of Special Relativity?
Ans:  The laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames.
 The speed of light in a vacuum is constant (≈ 3 × 10⁸ m/s) and does not
depend on the motion of the source or observer.
28. What is time dilation?
Ans: Time slows down for an object in motion relative to an observer, as described
by the Lorentz fact

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29. What is length contraction?

Ans: Objects in motion appear shorter in the direction of motion relative to an
observer.
30. What is the Lorentz transformation?
Ans: Equations that relate space and time coordinates between two inertial frames
moving at constant velocity relative to each other.
31. What is the speed of light in Special Relativity?
Ans: A constant value (≈ 3 × 10⁸ m/s) and the maximum speed at which information
or matter can travel.
32. What is relativistic mass?
Ans: The mass of an object increases as its velocity approaches the speed of light.
33. What is the equivalence of mass and energy?
Ans: Expressed by E = mc2, where energy (E) and mass (m) are interchangeable.
34. What is the twin paradox?
Ans: A thought experiment where one twin traveling at near-light speed ages slower
than the other twin who remains on Earth.
35. Does Special Relativity apply to non-inertial frames?
Ans: No, it applies only to inertial frames (constant velocity). For accelerating frames,
General Relativity is required.
36. What is the significance of cc in Special Relativity?
Ans: c (speed of light) is a universal constant and the ultimate speed limit in the
universe.
37. What is simultaneity in Special Relativity?
Ans: Events that are simultaneous in one frame may not be simultaneous in another
frame moving relative to the first.
38. What is time dilation?
Ans: Time runs slower for an object in motion relative to an observer, as described
by the Lorentz factor
 =
- /

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39. What is length contraction?

Ans: Objects in motion appear shorter in the direction of motion relative to an
observer.
40. What is relativistic mass increase?
Ans: The mass of an object increases as its velocity approaches the speed of light.
41. What is the mass-energy equivalence?
Ans: Expressed by E = mc2, mass and energy are interchangeable.
42. What is the relativity of simultaneity?
Ans: Events that are simultaneous in one frame may not be simultaneous in another
frame moving relative to the first.
43. What is the invariance of the speed of light?
Ans: The speed of light in a vacuum is constant (≈ 3 × 10⁸ m/s) and does not depend
on the motion of the source or observer.
44. What is the twin paradox?
Ans: A thought experiment where one twin traveling at near-light speed ages slower
than the other twin who remains on Earth.
45. What is the Lorentz transformation?
Ans: Equations that relate space and time coordinates between two inertial frames
moving at constant velocity relative to each other.
46. What is the relativistic Doppler effect?
Ans: The change in frequency or wavelength of light due to the relative motion of
the source and observer, accounting for relativistic effects.
47. What is the limitation on velocity?
Ans: No object with mass can reach or exceed the speed of light, as its mass would
become infinite.
48. What is the concept of spacetime?
Ans: Space and time are interwoven into a single continuum, and events are
described by four coordinates (three spatial and one temporal).
49. What is the loss of absolute simultaneity?
Ans: Simultaneity is not absolute; it depends on the observer's frame of reference.

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50. What is the relativistic momentum?

Ans: Momentum increases as velocity approaches the speed of light, given
by p=mv
51. What is the concept of causality?
Ans: The order of cause and effect is preserved in all frames, ensuring no violation of
causality.
52. What is the relativistic addition of velocities?
Ans: Velocities do not add simply (as in Newtonian mechanics) but follow a
relativistic formula to ensure they do not exceed the speed of light.
53. What is spacetime?
Ans: A four-dimensional continuum combining three spatial dimensions (length,
width, height) and one time dimension.
54. Why is time considered the fourth dimension?
Ans: In relativity, time is treated as a dimension similar to space, forming a unified
framework for describing events.
55. What is the spacetime interval?
Ans: A measure of the separation between two events in spacetime, combining
space and time differences, and is invariant for all observers.
56. What is the Minkowski spacetime?
Ans: A mathematical model combining space and time into a four-dimensional
manifold, used in Special Relativity.
57. How does spacetime unify space and time?
Ans: Space and time are interwoven, and events are described using four
coordinates (x, y, z, t).
58. What is the significance of the speed of light in spacetime?
Ans: The speed of light defines the relationship between space and time, ensuring
causality and the invariance of the spacetime interval.
59. What is a light cone?
Ans: A representation of all possible paths light can take from an event, dividing
spacetime into past, future, and unreachable regions.

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60. How does spacetime explain relativity of simultaneity?

Ans: Simultaneity depends on the observer's frame of reference, as time is relative
in the four-dimensional spacetime model.
61. What is the role of time in spacetime curvature?
Ans: In General Relativity, mass and energy curve spacetime, affecting both space
and time dimensions.
62. What is the spacetime metric?
Ans: A mathematical tool (e.g., Minkowski metric) used to measure distances and
intervals in spacetime.
63. Why is spacetime important in physics?
Ans: It provides a unified framework for understanding motion, gravity, and the
structure of the universe.
64. How does spacetime affect the perception of time?
Ans: Time can appear to slow down or speed up depending on the observer's motion
and gravitational field (time dilation).
65. What is the difference between space and time in spacetime?
Ans: Space has three dimensions, while time has one, but they are interconnected
and treated equally in spacetime.
66. What is an event in spacetime?
Ans: A specific point in spacetime defined by its spatial coordinates (x, y, z) and time
coordinate (t).
67. How does spacetime relate to causality?
Ans: Spacetime ensures that cause precedes effect, maintaining the order of events
and preventing violations of causality.
68. What is the principle of the constancy of the speed of light?
Ans: The speed of light in a vacuum is always constant (≈ 3 × 10⁸ m/s) and does not
depend on the motion of the source or observer.
69. Who proposed this principle?
Ans: Albert Einstein, as part of his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905.

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70. What is the speed of light in a vacuum?

Ans: Approximately 3×108 meters per second (299,792,458 m/s).
71. Why is the speed of light considered constant?
Ans: Experimental evidence, such as the Michelson-Morley experiment, shows that
the speed of light does not change regardless of the observer's motion.
72. How does this principle challenge Newtonian physics?
Ans: It contradicts the idea that velocities add simply (Galilean relativity) and
introduces the concept of spacetime.
73. What is the significance of the constancy of the speed of light?
Ans: It forms the foundation of Special Relativity and leads to phenomena like time
dilation and length contraction.
74. Does the speed of light change in different media?
Ans: Yes, light slows down in materials like water or glass, but its speed in a vacuum
is always constant.
75. How does this principle affect the concept of simultaneity?
Ans: Simultaneity becomes relative; events simultaneous in one frame may not be
in another due to the constant speed of light.
76. What is the role of the speed of light in spacetime?
Ans: It defines the relationship between space and time, ensuring the invariance of
the spacetime interval.
77. Can anything travel faster than the speed of light?
Ans: According to relativity, no object with mass can reach or exceed the speed of
light.
78. How does the constancy of the speed of light lead to E=mc2?
Ans: It shows that energy (E) and mass (m) are interchangeable, with c2 as the
conversion factor.
79. What is the experimental evidence for the constancy of the speed of light?
Ans: The Michelson-Morley experiment and observations of particle accelerators
confirm it.

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80. How does this principle relate to the invariance of physical laws?
Ans: It ensures that the laws of physics, including electromagnetism, are the same in
all inertial frames.
81. What is the connection between the speed of light and causality?
Ans: The constant speed of light ensures that cause precedes effect, preserving
causality.
82. Why is the speed of light considered a universal speed limit?
Ans: It is the maximum speed at which information or matter can travel, as dictated
by relativity.

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