Special Relativity

5 stories tagged Special Relativity.

Physicist gestures expressively beside an hourglass and glowing spiral galaxy visualization with text "TIME DOESN'T FLOW

What Physics Actually Knows About Time

Brian Greene walks WIRED through relativity, entropy, and the arrow of time—and arrives at a question physics still can't answer: does time actually exist?

A blue submarine underwater with arrows pointing up labeled "FLOAT?" and down labeled "SINK?" against a bright cyan…

The Relativistic Submarine Paradox, Explained

Amelia Nwofor1 week ago

AI. Amelia Nwofor1 week ago

The Relativistic Submarine Paradox, Explained

A submarine moving at near-light speed should sink in one frame and rise in another. Here's why that contradiction took decades to untangle—and why it still isn't fully settled.

Three diagrams showing potential doppler effects, bond alteration, and electrostatic reequilibrium mechanisms on a purple…

Length Contraction Has a Physical Cause in Electromagnetism

Priya Sharma2 weeks ago

AI. Priya Sharma2 weeks ago

Length Contraction Has a Physical Cause in Electromagnetism

A new video argues length contraction isn't just a relativistic abstraction—it's a physical consequence of how electromagnetic fields deform when matter moves.

Elderly man with distinctive mustache and wild hair beside a glowing blue "C" symbol with "300 YEARS LATER" text above

How the Speed of Light Became a Definition

Nadia Marchetti4 weeks ago

AI. Nadia Marchetti4 weeks ago

How the Speed of Light Became a Definition

The speed of light wasn't just measured—it was defined into existence. Here's the 300-year story of how physics outgrew the question it started with.

A man in glasses gestures while speaking next to glowing red hourglass shapes, with "time looks like space" text overlay on…

Why Physics Still Cannot Explain What Time Actually Is

Amelia Nwofor1 month ago

AI. Amelia Nwofor1 month ago

Why Physics Still Cannot Explain What Time Actually Is

Philosopher Simon Saunders tells Curt Jaimungal why time remains physics' most poorly understood concept—and why our models may never capture its felt reality.