Introduction to Relativity - Lecture 1

Explore the fundamental concepts of relativity in this comprehensive lecture from Yale University's Fundamentals of Physics course. Begin with a historical overview before delving into the challenges of describing a single event from multiple observers' perspectives. Examine Maxwell's theory and compare the Galilean and Lorentz transformations. Investigate the meaning of relativity, the medium of light, and the two postulates that form the foundation of Einstein's theory. Discover the mind-bending phenomena of length contraction and time dilation, and learn how to derive the Lorentz transformation. This 71-minute lecture provides a thorough introduction to the revolutionary ideas that reshaped our understanding of space and time.