Transcript:

Hi! Welcome to another edition of "A Little Something About Everything." So today, we look at the special theory of relativity.

So, before Einstein came up with the special theory of relativity, Maxwell had already written down the equations on electromagnetism. In there, there was this thing called speed of light, C. And Einstein made a astute observation. His observation was that the fastest way information can be transmitted from one point to the other is at the speed of light. And his assumption was that the speed of light is a universal constant. The special theory of relativity is simply a consequence of making this one assumption: that the speed of light can never be exceeded.

So, what are the consequences? Time, as defined by Newton, is no longer absolute when interpreted by Einstein in the domain of special theory of relativity. What happens is, as—let's say—I'm moving very fast and you are a standstill observer, time for me will pass slower compared to you. This is a result of the speed of light being an absolute constant. The other thing that will happen is if I'm moving very fast, let's say I'm in a car moving at almost close to the speed of light, when you as an observer measure...