Special relativity theorem and Pythagoras’s magic

Abstract

In the modern physics unit included in the course curriculum of grade 10 physics introduced in the 2007–2008 education year, the aim is that students at this grade level are aware of any developments which constitute modern physics and may be considered new, and interpret whether mass, length and time values of the motions at any velocities close to the speed of light vary or not. One of the scientific concepts and subjects among the final ones to be learned in the unit of modern physics with 12 course hours includes the special relativity theorem and its results. The special relativity theorem, the foundation of which was laid by Einstein in 1905, has three significant predictions proven by experiments and observations: time extension, dimensional shortening and mass relativity. At the first stage of this study, a simple and fast solution that uses the Pythagorean relation for problems and must be treated by using the mathematical expressions of the predictions as specified above is given, and this way of solution was taught while the relativity subject was explained to the secondary education students who are fifteen years old from grade 10 in the 2013–2014 education year. At the second stage of the study, a qualitative study is released together with grade 11 students who are sixteen years old in 2014–2015, who learnt to solve any problems in both methods, while the special relativity subject is discussed in the physics course in grade 10. The findings of the study show that the students have a misconception on the relativity theorem and prefer to solve any relativity-related problems by using the Pythagorean method constituting the first stage of this study.