The structure of the Lorentz transformations follows purely from the absence of privileged inertial reference frames and the group structure of the transformations, two assumptions that are simple and physically necessary. The existence of an invariant speed is \textit{not} a necessary assumption, and in fact is a consequence of the principle of relativity (though the finite value of this speed must, of course, be obtained from experiment). Von Ignatowsky derived this result in 1911, but it is still not widely known and is absent from most textbooks. Here we present a completely elementary proof of the result, suitable for use in an introductory course in special relativity.

Getting the Lorentz transformations without requiring an invariant speed / Pelissetto, Andrea; Testa, Massimo. - In: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. - ISSN 0002-9505. - STAMPA. - 83:(2015), pp. 338-347. [10.1119/1.4901453]

Getting the Lorentz transformations without requiring an invariant speed

PELISSETTO, Andrea;TESTA, Massimo
2015

Abstract

The structure of the Lorentz transformations follows purely from the absence of privileged inertial reference frames and the group structure of the transformations, two assumptions that are simple and physically necessary. The existence of an invariant speed is \textit{not} a necessary assumption, and in fact is a consequence of the principle of relativity (though the finite value of this speed must, of course, be obtained from experiment). Von Ignatowsky derived this result in 1911, but it is still not widely known and is absent from most textbooks. Here we present a completely elementary proof of the result, suitable for use in an introductory course in special relativity.
2015
Relativity; Lorentz Transformation; Galilean Transformations
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Getting the Lorentz transformations without requiring an invariant speed / Pelissetto, Andrea; Testa, Massimo. - In: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. - ISSN 0002-9505. - STAMPA. - 83:(2015), pp. 338-347. [10.1119/1.4901453]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/608579
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