Special relativity, formulated by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century, is a revolutionary theory in physics that fundamentally changed our understanding of space, time, and the nature of the universe. It is one of the two pillars of modern theoretical physics, with the other being quantum mechanics. Special relativity introduces a new perspective on the laws of physics, particularly when objects are moving at high speeds, approaching the speed of light. But how did Einstein come up with Special Relativity?
Newton’s laws of motion and the conservation principles of a particle are exactly the same in all inertial system. Or, in more technical terms the laws of mechanics are invariant under a Galilean transformation. But, are laws of physics other than those of mechanics (such as electromagnetism) invariant under a Galilean transformation? No!
The electromagnetic situation is different from the mechanical one, as far as the Galilean transformation is concerned. In formal terms, the Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism, from which we deduce the electromagnetic wave equation, contain the constant “c” which is identified as the velocity of propagation of a plane wave in vacuum. But such a velocity cannot be the same for observers in different inertial frames, according to the Galilean transformations, so that electromagnetic effects will probably not be the same for different inertial observers. Indeed, Maxwell’s equations are not preserved in form by the Galilean transformations, although Newton’s laws are.
The situation, then seems to be either there exists a unique privileged frame of reference (the “ether” frame) in which Maxwell’s equations are valid and in which light is propagated at a speed ‘c’, or Maxwell’s equations are not correct, or the laws of mechanics given by Newton are not the correct one. It turns out that the laws of mechanics given by Newton are in fact incorrect. The other 1 and 2 alternatives can be ruled out on the experimental bases. And, it was that guy, Einstein, as so often, who reformed the Newton’s laws of mechanics developing, Einsteinian relativity, special relativity, thus fixing the problem.
