Understanding

Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

A Stanford University Online Course
Larry Randles Lagerstrom, Instructor


Week 3 Introduction: Ethereal Problems and Solutions


A. Einstein quotations of the week

“There is no doubt that the special theory of relativity, if we look at its development in retrospect, was
ripe for discovery in 1905.”

“I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative
mind.”

“When I am judging a theory, I ask myself whether, if I were God, I would have arranged the world that
way.”

“Subtle is the Lord, but malicious he is not.”

Engaging the brain: Do you agree that monotony and/or a quiet (or quieter) life can lead to creativity?
What do you think that Einstein means when he says, in the context of how Nature works, that God is
subtle but not malicious? (It is okay to simply speculate here, i.e., what might it mean, not necessarily
what Einstein himself meant exactly.)

A note on “Einstein and God”: Some of Einstein’s best-known quotations refer to God (two examples
above). If you are interested in reading more about Einstein’s views of God, see the Reading (pdf file)
posted on the course website immediately below this introduction handout.

A note on the nature of light: When we talk about light waves sometimes there are questions raised
about whether it makes sense to talk about light as a wave when a more modern conception refers to
photons and “wave-particle duality.” For those who are interested, a brief summary of the issue may be
found in the Reading on “The nature of light” (posted on the course website immediately below the
Reading on “Einstein and God”).


B. Week 3 lessons
Reminder: Most of the video lectures have an associated handout that gives a basic outline of the
lecture, with room for you to take notes. They are available as pdf files, listed as a “Reading” before
each video lecture on the course website.

1. Week 3 introduction
2. Einstein’s starting point: the two postulates
3. A few words about waves
4. The Michelson-Morley experiment
5. Stellar aberration
6. Ethereal solutions
7. Week 3 summary and final quiz