From Einstein's 1905 Postulates to the Geometry of Flat Space-Time
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
2009-11-10 v2 Classical Physics
Quantum Physics
Abstract
Minkowski diagrams in 1+1 dimensional flat space-time are given a strictly geometric derivation, directly from two gedanken experiments incorporating the principle of the constancy of the velocity of light and the principle of (special) relativity. Rectangles of photon trajectories play a central role in determining the simultaneity convention and in establishing the invariance of the interval.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.gr-qc/0411069,
title = {From Einstein's 1905 Postulates to the Geometry of Flat Space-Time},
author = {N. David Mermin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:gr-qc/0411069},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
A few typos and some obvious misstatements have been repaired. A reference has been added. 18 pages, 12 figures. To appear in Annalen der Physik (Leipzig) 14 (2005) [1-3], Special Topic Issue. Albert Einstein: His Work and His Impact