8.033 | Fall 2024 | Undergraduate

Introduction to Relativity and Spacetime Physics

Course Description

The goal of this course is to give you a thorough introduction to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, and to give you a brief introduction to core concepts of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The course is designed to be accessible to first-semester sophomores, and suitable as one of the first “core major” …
The goal of this course is to give you a thorough introduction to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, and to give you a brief introduction to core concepts of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The course is designed to be accessible to first-semester sophomores, and suitable as one of the first “core major” courses students encounter after completing the physics General Institute Requirement.
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
A set of grid lines bending around a dark round object.
The curvature of spacetime around the source of the gravitational force. (Image by Maschen on Wikimedia Commons. Image is in the public domain.)