Related papers: On the Invariance of the Spacetime Interval
Homogeneity of space and time, spatial isotropy, principle of relativity and the existence of a finite speed limit (or its variants) are commonly believed to be the only axioms required for developing the special theory of relativity…
We show a very simple yet rigorous derivation of the invariance of the space-time interval (and hence the whole special relativity) just from the isotropy, homogeneity and a principle of relativity, without the need of the speed of light…
In the derivation of Lorentz transformation, linear transformation between inertial frames is one of the most important steps. In teaching special relativity, we usually use the homogeneity and isotropy of spacetime to argue that the…
Besides the defining space-time symmetries (homogeneity and isotropy) of inertial frames, the derivation of Lorentz transformation requires postulating the principle of relativity and the existence of a finite speed limit. In this article,…
The invariance of the speed of light in all inertial frames - the second postulate of special theory of relativity (STR) - is shown to be an inevitable consequence of the relativity principle of special theory of relativity taken in…
We show that starting with the addition law of parallel speeds derived as a consequence of the invariance of the speed of light, the Lorentz transformations for the space-time coordinates can be derived.
In relativity and quantum field theory, the vacuum speed of light is assumed to be constant; the range of validity of general relativity is determined by the Planck length. However, there has been no convincing theory explaining the…
Einstein based his special theory of relativity on two postulates: (a) physical laws appear the same in all inertial frames, and (b) the speed of light in vacuum is an observer-independent constant. However, it is already known that the…
Space-like and time-like invariant space-time intervals are used to analyse measurements of spatial and temporal distances. The former are found to be Lorentz invariant --there is no `relativistic length contraction', whereas the latter…
Lorentz transformation on two-dimensional spacetime is obtained without assumption of linearity. To obtain this, we use the invariance of wave equations, which is recently proved to be equivalent to the causality preservation.
The theory of relativity was built up on linear Lorentz transformation. However, in his fundamental work "Theory of Space, Time and Gravitation" V.A.Fock shows that the general form of the transformation between the coordinates in the two…
If isotropy of space and homogeneity of space and time are the valid laws of nature then one can show that velocity of any signal (whether it is light in a vacuum or in a medium or something having constant velocity in the rest frame of the…
A new method of derivation of Lorentz Transformation (LT) is given based on both axioms of special relativity (SR) and physical intuitions. The essence of the transformation is established and the crucial role played by the presumptions is…
Method given for intuitively visualizing constancy of light speed. Using mass-energy equivalence, we can show with the help of simple thought experiments, that velocity time dilation and gravitational time dilation are a necessary…
The Lorentz Transformations are derived without any linearity assumptions and without assuming that y and z coordinates transform in a Galilean manner. Status of the invariance of the speed of light is reduced from a foundation of the…
Relativistic invariance of the vacuum is (or follows from) one of the Wightman axioms which is commonly believed to be true. Without these axioms, here we present a direct and general proof of continuous relativistic invariance of all…
The shortening of bodies in the direction of motion, Lorentz contraction, follows from the solution of Maxwell's equations. Moving light clocks will tick slower than those at rest because the speed of light does not depend on a source of…
The constancy of light speed is a basic assumption in Einstein's special relativity, and consequently the Lorentz invariance is a fundamental symmetry of space-time in modern physics. However, it is speculated that the speed of light…
We present an elementary, symmetry-first derivation of the Lorentz transformation together with a methodological clarification of the linearity step. Starting from the Principle of Relativity, supplemented by spacetime homogeneity,…
Introducing the primed inertial coordinate system, for each inertial frame of reference, in addition to the usual inertial coordinate system, we assume that gravity-free space and time possess the Euclidean structures in the primed inertial…