First-person visualizations of the special and general theory of relativity

Ute Kraus, August 24, 2007

Visualizations that adopt a first-person point of view allow observation and, in the case of interactive simulations, experimentation with relativistic scenes. I illustrate and explain the main aspects of the visual observations, outline their use in teaching relativity and report on teaching experiences. This paper assumes some basic knowledge about relativity on the part of the reader. It addresses instructors of physics at the undergraduate and advanced secondary school level as well as their students.

Content:
Introduction
Visualizations of the special theory of relativity
- Moving object
- Moving observer
Visualizations of the general theory of relativity
Teaching use
References

More: For more details on the simulations described in this paper, see Through the city at nearly the speed of light (includes two movies) and Step by step into a Black Hole. More examples of the appearance of objects that are moving at nearly the speed of light, including realistic astronomic ones that have actually been observed in space can be found in Motion near the cosmic speed limit.