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Back to Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity by Stanford University

4.9
stars
2,964 ratings

About the Course

In this course we will seek to “understand Einstein,” especially focusing on the special theory of relativity that Albert Einstein, as a twenty-six year old patent clerk, introduced in his “miracle year” of 1905. Our goal will be to go behind the myth-making and beyond the popularized presentations of relativity in order to gain a deeper understanding of both Einstein the person and the concepts, predictions, and strange paradoxes of his theory. Some of the questions we will address include: How did Einstein come up with his ideas? What was the nature of his genius? What is the meaning of relativity? What’s “special” about the special theory of relativity? Why did the theory initially seem to be dead on arrival? What does it mean to say that time is the “fourth dimension”? Can time actually run more slowly for one person than another, and the size of things change depending on their velocity? Is time travel possible, and if so, how? Why can’t things travel faster than the speed of light? Is it possible to travel to the center of the galaxy and return in one lifetime? Is there any evidence that definitively confirms the theory, or is it mainly speculation? Why didn’t Einstein win the Nobel Prize for the theory of relativity? About the instructor: Dr. Larry Lagerstrom is the Director of Academic Programs at Stanford University’s Center for Professional Development, which offers graduate certificates in subjects such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, data mining, nanotechnology, innovation, and management science. He holds degrees in physics, mathematics, and the history of science, has published a book and a TED Ed video on "Young Einstein: From the Doxerl Affair to the Miracle Year," and has had over 30,000 students worldwide enroll in his online course on the special theory of relativity (this course!)....

Top reviews

JJ

Mar 21, 2020

Thanks for helping me understand the Special Theory of Relativity, covered a lot of ground but repeated it so it really could sink in. Like your style and want to thank you for your assistance. Thanks

BH

Jun 22, 2017

This course is very comprehensive and well prepared material for understanding the Special Theory of Relativity. Larry (the instructor) is very expert and has broad knowledge in explaining the course.

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151 - 175 of 1,017 Reviews for Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity

By Moya H

Aug 25, 2017

This course is engaging and interesting. The lecturer inspires you to learn and open your mind. The course itself can be hard in areas but if you stick with it, eventually you can work it out. There is a fair bit of algebra (which I never studied at school) but I still made it! I recommend this to anyone who wants to understand time and space and be drawn into the fantastic world of Einstein.

By Michel A

Feb 28, 2020

After reading almost a lifetime books about the works and accomplishments of Einstein (not being a graduated scientist but huge fan of the topic), it is amazing to follow this this course and explore this world in a whole new sight. Fantastic stuff brought by the best instructor by far. I think I will start all over again. A lot is much more obvious now, or is it? Triple A+ for Larry. Thank you.

By Wallace C

Apr 24, 2018

I can't stress enough how good this course is. It's the best course i've ever taken in any subject. It's really impressive how much energy, thought, patience, care was put here. I'm deeply thankful for this. You guys made me so happy. Almost everything someone need to know about STR is here. And the teacher... maybe my favourite physics teacher ever. This guy is the golden standard of teaching.

By maria L A l

Oct 27, 2021

Es un curso muy interesante para los que no formamos parte de los científicos, me permitió entender la Teoría de la relatividad especial. El profesor entregó los conceptos con mucha claridad y entregando bases sólidas para ir avanzando en el conocimiento. Mi área de experiencia laboral no es la física y aun así logré avanzar y concluir el curso con un profundo conocimiento. Muchas gracias!

By Bojan D

Sep 27, 2020

This is an excellent course for everyone who is interested in Einstein's special theory of relativity. All concepts about the theory are presented in a simple and intuitive way, therefore anyone with basic math knowledge will understand it easily.

Also, professor Larry Lagerstrom is a very charismatics person, and his talent for teaching other people made this course an amazing experience.

By luiz f g

Jul 29, 2017

This is a greate course. Many thanks to all involved in providing such a very well elaborated course, modeling such a complex subject in a "simplified" version that is reachable by many people that would be disencouraged by maths and formulas intrinsic to the subject. Thanks also to Professor LArry by making the course even more entusiastic and attractive by given many examples along it.

By Arno v H

Aug 31, 2022

I really loved this course. I reached my goal of (at least believing myself :-) that I now have a basic understanding of the special theory of relativity, even quantitatively at some level. Required level of math proved to be rather limited, and for me not a problem at all. Really enjoyed whatching the videos because of the relaxed way in which they are presented by the professor!

By Vijay S

Oct 7, 2020

The course is very well designed for someone with little or no knowledge of the subject matter. The only quibble I had was with respect to the time spent on the very basics of the maths and what I felt was somewhat repetitive nature of some of the points made, if adjusted for that one could lop off several hours from the course length and might actually encourage more participation.

By ZHAO Y

Mar 5, 2017

This is the first course I ever finished on coursera! Thanks to Prof. Lagerstrom for making the course so easy and engaging for people with any level of maths and physics knowledge to follow and pick up. I've really enjoyed the whole journey and gained knowledge about this universe. It's definitely worth recommending to anyone who's interested to know more about the world around us.

By Ken H

Dec 28, 2018

Great course. The instructor goes slow and repeats important points for maximum retention. Key equations are rigorously derived (requiring only high school algebra) but are rarely required in the weekly quizzes. After completing this course I have a better understanding of special relativity and (thanks to the final week) better understand its relationship to general relativity.

By ppietrus

May 23, 2018

Fascinating course and a material presented in a super approachable way. Many paradoxes thoroughly explained - for the first time for me everything from start to finish was crystal clear. Amazing how almost all of these interesting phenomena, including Lorentz transformation, can be derived simply by using pythagorean theorem and common sense. Can I have a second helping please!

By Willem

Feb 12, 2022

Excellent course. Well-designed and very well presened. Developed for amateur astronomers like me who want the frame of information,without going to university. Prof is excellent! Excellent lecturer, beautiful sense of humor and very descriptive. He issued a lot of effort in preparing and presenting the course, which is top quality.

Thank you for everything.

Best regards,

Willem.

By Larry L

Sep 13, 2020

I have always wanted to understand the basics of the Special Theory of Relativity but when trying to read about it found that I did not have the appropriate post high school background in math and physics to understand the theory. Professor Lagerstrom presented the information in a cogent manner that enabled me to grasp both the theory's underlying principles and its beauty.

LL

By RONALD D P

Oct 3, 2019

Very well done. I learned a lot and I'm very pleased with the results I achieved. I learned to study with purpose and to be patient in my learning. I learned to listen intently and apply what I learned. Even old dogs can learn new tricks. I really enjoyed listening to Mr Lagerstrom's lectures. He is knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. He made the course easy to follow.

By Raymond S

May 24, 2023

This course taught me many new concepts, that I didn't find when reading many popular science books about physics and Einstein. The instructor did an excellent job in presenting the material in an ordered fashion. Most of the material was understandable, but certainly required a lot of effort by the learner. Overall, I would say this course has been a delight to complete.

By Frank B

Mar 14, 2020

This course is outstanding. I have tried other self-learning STofR courses and never got past the preliminary steps. The professor is outstanding, the amount of effort to make Special Relativity concepts understandable at the high school algebra level must have been immense. Thanks for expending the effort.

Frank Bryant B.S. Biology/Chemistry, B.S.E.E, M.S. Computer Systems

By Hugo C P

Feb 26, 2018

Es un gran curso, el profesor tiene una gran experiencia haciendo clases y he aprendido mucho tomando el curso, ayuda que esté el texto en ingles de sus diálogos para traducirlo si hay alguna duda. El curso cumplió todas mis expectativas, felicito al equipo que diagramó y preparó este lindo curso para los amantes de la física y la astronomía. Un abrazo a todo el equipo.

By Bhanupratap S G

Apr 26, 2022

just amazing, got no words to describe how beautifully this course was taught. Anone with having little to no physics background can learn from this course. The way Larry Randeles taught , made me understand each concepts deep into my bones.In the end , i just want to express my gratitude towards Larry , thank u larry for making this course understandable for anyone.

By Yaswant G

Jun 29, 2020

This is a wonderful path to embark on for those who wish to have a different perspective on the natural laws. It provides a robust platform for pursing more advanced journeys and enhance their ability to analyse and contemplate. The course material is really good and is definitely recommended for people who wish to step out of their boundaries and grasp more of life.

By Jerome H

May 22, 2020

For foreigners, the subtitles are very useful. Sometimes they are not correct and students could have correct them if there would be some tool to propose corrections as it is sometimes the case for the correction of OCR for old newspaper.

I have learned a lot with this course and would like to thank you for providing this material to all the students in the world.

By Sheshagiri K M R

Jun 24, 2017

I must say that it is a great course. It moves along nicely (though at times a bit fast); the context has been laid out well and there is enough of summarizing and 'looking back' before moving forward. This course is an ideal beginning for anyone who wants to deep dive into relativity at a later stage! My thanks to Coursera and special thanks to Prof. Lagerstrom!

By Om G

Mar 14, 2020

As a student hoping to study Physics in University, this course offered a fantastic and simple to follow explanation for concepts that are often portrayed as impossible to understand by mainstream media. Props to Professor Lagerstrom and the rest of the team in developing a course that even a person with a passing interest in physics can follow comprehensively!

By Hyrum

Aug 8, 2020

Lagerstrom is a master teacher and better than any I had in college. He takes concepts and presents them in a way that an audience with a wide range of backgrounds and understanding can grasp them. He covers the what and the why at a depth that helps you appreciate the principles taught.

I wish there were other course taught by Lagerstrom. I'd readily sign up!

By Rusi R

Feb 11, 2018

Great class, thank you. Just a suggestion for the movie with matter-antimatter fuel comparison to the center of the galaxy , when speaking of 38 kg antimatter, just for comparison perhaps we can convert this to truckloads of coal ... this way people will realize better how much energy it goes to producing 1 gram of antimatter, not even to mention 38 kg ... :")

By Amit M

Apr 3, 2021

A well-paced introduction to theory of relativity. The instructor offers a historical angle to the developments, an especially useful perspective for students, beyond the intuition-bending clutter of mathematical derivations. I highly recommend this over other courses on this subject to students of all disciplines, especially those of engineering disciplines.