Learning einstein's theory of special relativity: State of the art

Abstract

In this article we analyze the learning difficulties of Einstein's Theory of Restricted Relativity. The information has been obtained and selected from the Web of Science, Scopus, Educational Resources Information Center and Google Scholar databases, taking into account the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) and Composite Index of Secondary Dissemination (ICDS). For the analysis and the conclusions the learning difficulties of the students related to the Restricted Relativity of Einstein were established, with respect to the following concepts: Space and time. Causality and simultaneity. Reference frames. Energy. Mass. Light. This study has been the basis for the design of a teaching proposal based on the geometric formulation of Minkowski, aimed at high school students.