Concepts of relative velocity
General Physics
2011-04-06 v1
Abstract
The central concept of the theory of relativity is the relativity of velocity. The velocity of a material body is not an intrinsic property of the body; it depends on a free choice of reference system. Relative velocity is thus reference-dependent, it is not an absolute concept. We stress that even zero-velocity must be relative. Every reference system possesses its own zero-velocity relative only to that particular reference system. Does the theory of relativity formulated in terms of relative velocities, with many zero-velocities, imply the Lorentz isometry group? We discuss the many relative spaces of Galileo and Poincare, as quotient spaces.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1104.0684,
title = {Concepts of relative velocity},
author = {Zbigniew Oziewicz and William S. Page},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1104.0684},
year = {2011}
}
Comments
18 pages, LaTeX