Special relativity

A theory of space and time in which physical laws are the same in all inertial frames and the speed of light in vacuum is invariant.

Lorentz transformation: The equations relating space and time coordinates measured in different inertial frames. It converts between frames while preserving the invariant speed of light.
Inertial frame: A reference frame in which a freely moving object travels at constant velocity unless acted on by a force. The theory's equivalence principle applies specifically among these frames.
Albert Einstein: The physicist who formulated special relativity in 1905 and later developed general relativity. His 1905 paper introduced the theory from the relativity principle and light-speed invariance.
Galilean relativity: The classical account in which inertial frames are related by Galilean transformations and share absolute time. It preserves common time but does not preserve the speed of light across frames.
Mass–energy equivalence: The relation between an object's rest energy and mass, expressed as E = mc². It follows from relativistic energy and momentum and explains energy released in reactions.
Relativity of simultaneity: The dependence of whether separated events occur simultaneously on an observer’s inertial frame. It follows directly from invariant light speed and replaces absolute simultaneity.
Principle of relativity: The principle that the laws of physics take the same form in all admissible reference frames. Special relativity extends this principle to include the laws of electromagnetism.
Hendrik Lorentz: The Dutch physicist whose work on electrodynamics included transformations later central to special relativity. His transformations supplied mathematical tools that Einstein gave a new physical interpretation.
Newtonian mechanics: The classical framework describing motion through Newton's laws and an absolute notion of time. Its laws use Galilean transformations, which fail at speeds near light speed.
Relativistic momentum: Momentum defined as the product of energy divided by c² and velocity, consistent with Lorentz transformations. It replaces the classical momentum formula at speeds approaching light speed.

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