GENERAL RESULTS OF THE THEORY

It is clear from our previous considerations that the (special) theory of relativity has grown out of electrodynamics and optics.  In these fields it has not appreciably altered the predictions of theory, but it has considerably simplified the theoretical structure, i.e. the derivation of laws, and —­ what is incomparably more important —­ it has considerably reduced the number of independent hypothese forming the basis of theory.  The special theory of relativity has rendered the Maxwell-Lorentz theory so plausible, that the latter would have been generally accepted by physicists even if experiment had decided less unequivocally in its favour.

Classical mechanics required to be modified before it could come into line with the demands of the special theory of relativity.  For the main part, however, this modification affects only the laws for rapid motions, in which the velocities of matter v are not very small as compared with the velocity of light.  We have experience of such rapid motions only in the case of electrons and ions; for other motions the variations from the laws of classical mechanics are too small to make themselves evident in practice.  We shall not consider the motion of stars until we come to speak of the general theory of relativity.  In accordance with the theory of relativity the kinetic energy of a material point of mass m is no longer given by the well-known expression

eq. 15:  file eq15.gif

but by the expression

eq. 16:  file eq16.gif

This expression approaches infinity as the velocity v approaches the velocity of light c.  The velocity must therefore always remain less than c, however great may be the energies used to produce the acceleration.  If we develop the expression for the kinetic energy in the form of a series, we obtain

eq. 17:  file eq17.gif

When eq. 18 is small compared with unity, the third of these terms is always small in comparison with the second,

which last is alone considered in classical mechanics.  The first term mc^2 does not contain the velocity, and requires no consideration if we are only dealing with the question as to how the energy of a point-mass; depends on the velocity.  We shall speak of its essential significance later.

The most important result of a general character to which the special theory of relativity has led is concerned with the conception of mass.  Before the advent of relativity, physics recognised two conservation laws of fundamental importance, namely, the law of the canservation of energy and the law of the conservation of mass these two fundamental laws appeared to be quite independent of each other.  By means of the theory of relativity they have been united into one law.  We shall now briefly consider how this unification came about, and what meaning is to be attached to it.