EP 207 Introduction to Special Theory of Relativity (Autumn 2017-18)

Instructor Name: Raghunath Chelakkot

Course Type: Theory

Pre-requisites:Formal- none

Informal - Linear Algebra

Course Content: Lorentz Transformations, Relativistic Dynamics, Tensors, Covariant description of Electromagnetism 

Other topics covered:

Books: Introduction to Special Relativity- Robert Resnick

Lectures: No attendance is taken during this course except for the first lecture. Sir uses blackboard to teach. There were discussions about paradoxes in classes but were often left incomplete. To get a complete grasp of the subject, it is important that you read the reference book alongside. Just following the lectures can get confusing after a while. Sir rushes through the concept of tensors very quickly so that is covered very poorly. 

Assignments:There were 4 ungraded tutorials with decent difficulty and each having one/two challenging questions. 

Exams and Grading: A quiz(15 marks) and Endsem(30 marks) was taken for the course. The grading policy of the class was liberal with about 17 students out of 57 getting a grade above 8. 

Online material:Spacetime Physics: Introduction to special relativity

Follow-up Courses:General Relativity, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics (QM 3)

Pro-tips: Do:

Follow the reference book religiously
Don't
Leave all the tutorials to the day before exam

Personal Comments:

Respondent: Keshav Janyani