What are the postulates of special relativity?

There are two postulates of special relativity:

1. The laws of physics are invariant in all inertial frames of reference.

What this means is that if we have a description for how physical systems undergo change in one frame F, then that should remain the same in another frame F' as long as F' is only moving at a constant velocity relative to F. Note that a frame of reference is just a set of coordinate axes against which we can measure positions in space and time. Inertial means that it is non-accelerating.
2. The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of the motion of the light source.

This means that regardless of how the light source is moving with relative to the observer, the speed of light will be measured as a constant c.

From these postulates we can then derive the consequences such as length contraction, time dilation, universal speed limit etc. 

SP
Answered by Srijan P. Physics tutor

6683 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the root mean square voltage of an alternating current?


How would you integrate ln(x)


A ball with radius 10cm is filled with an ideal gas at pressure 2*(10)^5Pa and temperature 300K. The volume of the gas is changed at constant pressure so that the radius of the ball is reduced with 1cm. Find the amount of gas and the new temperature


A spacecraft needs to be slowed down from a speed of 96m/s to 8.2m/s. This can be done by firing an object as the spacecraft is moving. If the mass of the spacecraft is 6730kg and the object is 50kg, calculate the velocity of the ejected object.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning