What are the postulates of special relativity?

There are two postulates of special relativity:

1. The laws of physics are invariant in all inertial frames of reference.

What this means is that if we have a description for how physical systems undergo change in one frame F, then that should remain the same in another frame F' as long as F' is only moving at a constant velocity relative to F. Note that a frame of reference is just a set of coordinate axes against which we can measure positions in space and time. Inertial means that it is non-accelerating.
2. The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of the motion of the light source.

This means that regardless of how the light source is moving with relative to the observer, the speed of light will be measured as a constant c.

From these postulates we can then derive the consequences such as length contraction, time dilation, universal speed limit etc. 

Answered by Srijan P. Physics tutor

5847 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

State similarity and difference between the electric field lines and the gravitational field lines around an isolated positively charged metal sphere.


What is dimensional analysis and how is it used?


What is the change in temperature of 2kg of water heated by a kettle using a voltage of 230V at 0.5A of current for 10 seconds? Assume no heat losses.


A stationary radium atom decays, emiting an alpha particle. Why is the recoil speed of the nucleus small compared to the alpha particle?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences