Introduction to Relativity: From Cosmic Rays to Black Holes

This course provides an introduction to basic notions in special relativity and general relativity. After discussing the older Galilean relativity of Newtonian mechanics, the Lorentz transformations of special relativity are derived and their consequences (including length contraction, time dilation, simultaneity, causality, and relativistic kinematics) are explored. The larger framework of Einstein's general relativity is then introduced, focusing on the underlying equivalence principle and how spacetime is properly described by a metric. Toward the end of the course, Einstein's field equations are introduced and applications to gravitational wave interferometry and black holes are briefly discussed.