About the Teaching of the Inertial Fieldas Maxwell like-type

Abstract

This paper has a didactic aim. The Einstein General Theory of Relativity is very difficult for undergraduates students and also for graduates who have not followed a course of study in gravitational physics. For example, the calculation of some of its known consequences, such as the gravitational time dilation, requires familiarity with space-time metrics. In this paper, starting with the analogy between the electromagnetic field and the inertial one, we want to analyze, through the Einstein Equivalence Principle (EEP), some simple effect in a fictious gravitational field by using the inertial potentials in analogy with the electromagnetic ones.

Hafele and Keating in a fictious gravitational field

“…As it can be seen, we obtain a formal analogy with relations (15) and (16). We conclude by pointing out that the term ωrv can be interpreted as a gravitational Coriolis potential [19][20].…”

Real centrifugal forces in relativistic rotating spacetimes: a simple introduction

“…Furthermore, if the observer moves with respect to the rotating system, he can also be affected by a fictitious Coriolis gravitational force and, if v r is the relative velocity, we have the following Coriolis potential [20][21][22]…”

Relativistic mean proportion

“…Teaching is a much more important branch of physics than one might think. Indeed, it may also happen that concepts of classical physics, well known to specialists, require further study from a didactic point of view due to the young age of the students [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Generally during the last year of high school, students learn that SR is founded on the principle of relativity and on the fact that the speed of light is a fundamental constant of nature and it does not follow the Galilean law of addition.…”