Einstein's elevator and the principle of equivalence

Abstract

We outline here the design, execution, and educational outcomes of an intervention inspired by Einstein's elevator thought experiment, intended to introduce secondary school students to the principle of equivalence, which is at the basis of the theory of General Relativity. We build an experimental version of Einstein's elevator, which simulated the effects of free-fall in an accelerated reference frame: a detailed description of the experimental apparatus and its construction is provided, highlighting the challenges and innovations in creating a simple yet functional setup using everyday materials.

14 pages, LaTeX; revised to match the version accepted for publication in Physics Education

References in corpus (7)

• The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment
• Teaching Einsteinian Physics at Schools: Part 1, Models and Analogies for Relativity
• Teaching Einsteinian Physics at Schools: Part 2, Models and Analogies for Quantum Physics
• Can a short intervention focused on gravitational waves and quantum physics improve students' understanding and attitude?
• Public and Teacher Response to Einsteinian Physics in Schools
• Teaching Einsteinian Physics at Schools: Part 3, Review of Research Outcomes
• Long-term impact of a primary school intervention on aspects of Einsteinian physics