# Interpretation of Special Relativity

When we looked at Quantum Mechanics, we talked about its various interpretations. The reason we have such interpretations, I said, is that QM deals with a reality that we have no access to, through our sensory and perceptual apparatuses. Por outro lado, Special Relativity is about macro objects in motion, and we have no problem imagining such things. So why would we need to have an interpretation? The answer is a subtle one.
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# Speed of Light

The speed of light being a constant sounds like a simple statement. But there is more to it, quite a bit more. Let’s look at what this constancy really means. À primeira vista, it says that if you are standing somewhere, and there is a ray of light going from your right to left, it has a speed c. And another ray of light going from left to right also has a speed c. So far, so good. Now let’s say you are in a rocket ship, como se mostra na figura abaixo, moving from right to left.

Quando ouvimos falar sobre Einstein ea relatividade especial (ou a teoria da relatividade especial, para usar o nome verdadeiro), pensamos no famoso $E = mc^2$ equação, e coisas estranhas, como o paradoxo dos gêmeos. Enquanto essas coisas são todas verdadeiras e importante, o problema SR tenta resolver é um completamente diferente. É uma tentativa de defender um princípio básico na física.