A good balance of qualitative and quantitative elements. Perfect for someone who is interested in the Special Theory of Relativity but did not get enough from introductory books.

The course covers the base of special theory of relativity, as well as historical background. The course is easy to follow. The assements are easy also. Really enjoyable course !

this course gave me more curiosity about einsten, (even though I haven't completed it yet :)) if you are interested in einstein and his theory, I suggest you take a look

Each concept is lucidly explained with full context given behind each contest. Recommend everybody to give it a try!!

Es un curso largo y lento pero permite aprender los fundamentos de la teoria y retenerlos para siempre. Buen curso.

got to know a lot with concise and yet detailed explaination with simple requirements of mathematics and physics.

thanks alot, all credits to Dr.Larry Randles Lagerstrom and Coursera team

Easy to comprehend for people with non-science background. Great course!

Interesting course. Professor is thorough and explained it brilliantly.

I just happen to think that Larry is a splendid lecturer, (as it were)

Great course - well structured, and expertly guided.

Amazing course teaches a lot about the universe.

The most complicated theory was made very easy.

it is a very interesting and unique chapter

I like the way the instructor explains.

wonderful!! more than as expected

Good place to learn

Everything's nice.

EXCELLENT

Can't believe this course is taught to Stanford students (or any college students). The lecturer is soooo repetitive. He tells you what he's going to tell you, then he tells you and then he recaps. And he summarizes it all at the start of the next lecture. And there's a separate summary lecture at the end of each week. That said, he explains the material well. Cut the lectures by 2/3 and you'll have a 5-star course.

The course was too simple and the derivations too slow. I expected more involved math and harder quizzes.

no math

This fascinating course presented by a historian of science covers not just the basics of special relativity but the historical context as well. The lecturer starts off each week with some Einstein quotes and goes to great depths to explain the basic concepts at a level that is accessible to students with minimal experience of maths and physics. The concepts are firmly drilled in with plenty of optional quizzes after each mini-topic, and a summary video at the end of each week. The lectures are long but anyone short on time has the option to go straight to the weekly summary/quiz, and/or play videos at up to 2x speed (especially in weeks 2 and 3).

The main highlight for me was the explanation of the famous Twins Paradox and other related paradoxes which are resolved by understanding frames of reference and the relativity of simultaneity. Another bonus was an explanation of the bending of light by gravity through a simple thought experiment involving an accelerated elevator.

Some important topics not covered in the course, or only hinted at, are: treatment of accelerated reference frames (required to derive the relativistic rocket equations), relativistic momentum and kinetic energy (required to calculate the rocket fuel required) and relativistic energy (used to derive Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula).

Overall I highly recommend the course to anyone with the time and inclination.

This was an amazing course. I'm a third-year undergraduate student pursuing BSc(HONS) Physics. Since I'm already well-equipped with calculus and algebra, most of the course content in terms of mathematics was pretty easy and trivial for me. However, Prof. Larry's teaching method was extremely impressive. For a course that requires you to alter your common sense, his narration was perfect and articulate, which I ultimately found to be helpful in nourishing and supporting my intellect on all of the deepest insights of special relativity. The course is comprehensively designed and the problem sets have insightful questions of varying difficulty. And, after completing this course, it seems to me that I have a deeper and better understanding of the subject than my friends who studied SR from other platforms.

I would recommend almost every student to take up this course; because special relativity is more about transforming and shaping your common sense rather than being a mere theory-laden subject.

I'm grateful to Stanford University-Coursera and of course, to all the faculty mentors who understood and responded to my questions at almost speed=c. And, as Prof. Larry requested us in Week 1 to remember something throughout the course, I'd like to re-emphasize the same to any prospective student of this course- "Festina Lente" (make haste slowly).

So you're wondering if you have the ability to learn about the Special Theory of Relativity. After all, this theory was developed by a genius and it involves math, something that many people shy away from. Doesn't it take a background in physics and confidence in your math ability to get something out of the class? No. The remarkable thing about this class is that is presented at multiple levels simultaneously. If you are confident in your knowledge of physics and math, the explanations and optional exercises will be a welcome challenge. At the same time, the general concepts are explained in such a manner that you'll learn enough about the Special Theory of Relativity to get the "big picture" even if you don't immerse yourself in the mathematics. From there you can learn about it in more detail, if you wish. The test for me in taking any class is whether I'm able to explain the concepts to someone else in casual conversation. This course certainly met the test.