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special relativity

special relativity

2 7.1
A theory that says physics works the same for all objects moving at constant speed and light speed is constant
  • noun
  • /ˈspɛʃəl ˌrɛlətˈɪvɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : relatividad especial
  • According to special relativity, a normal object cannot reach the speed of light in a vacuum, c.

And again, he said it can't be right because special relativity seems to forbid it.

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Examples

  • He may be trying to convey that the elapsed time disparity is due to the effects of Einstein's theory of special relativity.

  • From this principle, Einstein derived his theory of special relativity.

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  • Indeed, fun fact, without special relativity, gold would not look gold.

  • An interesting interpretation of special relativity is that everything is moving with constant velocity.

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  • Over the past 100 years, numerous experimental tests of special relativity have confirmed its validity.

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  • Possibly the most well-known consequence of Einstein's theory of special relativity is that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, c.

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  • This confused scientists for years until Paul Dirac combined Einstein's special relativity with quantum mechanics.

  • Doubtful, according to special relativity; in our universe, mass traveling at FTL speeds would collapse into a black hole.

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  • The twin paradox stems from the early days of Einstein's special relativity, back then, when he was dreaming up ways to break brains.

  • Many groundbreaking technologies, such as GPS, rely on the principles of special relativity to function accurately.

Synonyms

relativity
vsspecial relativity
  • Specialized
43 8.1

A theory in physics that space and time change depending on how you move

is more narrowly about laws in inertial frames and light speed constancy
theory of relativity
vsspecial relativity
  • Specialized
12 6.7

A scientific idea that space and time are linked and change with motion and gravity

is narrower, focusing only on non-accelerating frames and light speed
special theory of relativity
vsspecial relativity
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A scientific idea that space and time change with speed and that light has the same speed for all observers

is the same core idea without emphasising author or date
relativity theory
vsspecial relativity
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A scientific idea by Einstein that space and time depend on how fast something moves

is specific to non-accelerating frames and constant light speed
special relativity theory
vsspecial relativity
  • Specialized
7.3

A physics idea that light moves at the same speed and time and space change for moving people

is the same theory but often phrased with a slightly different word order
Einstein's special theory of relativity
vsspecial relativity
  • Specialized
8.8

A 1905 Einstein theory saying time and space change because light's speed is always the same

is the general name for that formulation without the author's name

Surface Forms

Morphology

special + relativity

The phrase is compositionally created from 'special' + 'relativity', so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a particular kind or specific theory of relativity rather than an idiom. However, the detailed technical meaning (inertial frames, constancy of light speed) requires domain-specific scientific knowledge beyond B1, so the full sense is not predictable from the parts alone. The modifier+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, supporting partial but not complete transparency.

Etymology

Special relativity was named by Einstein after he saw that time and space look different for people moving at different speeds. He used relativity because measurements depend on the relation between observers, and special because it was the 'special' case without gravity, so the name explains why motion changes time and space.