Lorentz Transformation: Premises + Derivation

In summary, an elementary school teacher provided the premises used for the derivation of Lorentz's Transformation from another textbook. It is unknown if there was a flaw in the given argument. The resultant expression was the reciprocal of the traditional Lorentz Transformation. And, that has left this former student who was quite passionate about physics subconsciously puzzled.
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Immer Tzaddi
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TL;DR Summary
A review of the Lorentz Transformation's derivation has long been a goal. Especially as, it concerns the other quadrants and possible component orientations of the "given" displacement vector.
Recollections of a late Spring semester's lesson describing the derivation of Lorentz's Transformation often solicit many unanswered questions. The textbook used has been secured; however, it is unknown. Whether, that secondary school instructor provided the premises used for the derivation from another textbook or the required reading for the course is unknown. Or if, his given assertion had a "flaw" in them also is uncertain.

What is known is that he provided a standard solution path. Which constructed all of the proof-work among the coordinates of the first quadrant (Q-I). Out of a sense of academic moxie, orneriness, curiosity, or kinesiology; the second quadrant (Q-2) was chosen, personally.

With the northeast quadrant numbered as the primary one (Q-I). And, the cardinality of the quadrants increasing in a clock-wise and not in a counter clock-wise manner. This meant that the displacements along the domain were positive and those along the range were negative. This might seem like the "hand-waving" proof of a "monkeyish" argument. Yet, it seemed that the vector which he presented for the derivation, the one given in the textbook, had positive displacements in both the x- and y-directions. Which was a peculiar constraint for the transformation. Since, it should be a "generalization". The textbook's argument was built solely among the coordinates of the first quadrant.

And although, he might have made a mistake in his description of the given. Along with the fact, the work done in the second quadrant might have had a flaw, such as a dropped or artificially-introduced "sign". The resultant expression was the reciprocal of the traditional Lorentz Transformation.

And, that has left this former student who was quite passionate about physics subconsciously puzzled, for a pair of reasons.

Firstly, a neighbor spied the alternative derivation, reworked it for himself a couple of times, and approached the instructor. Who politely told his pupil that he had been clearly seen and should stop doing what he had been doing for much of the school year. And, it was highly unlikely that his "helper" would successfully make the "transition". He also said that "The Lorentz Transformation has some false quadrants. Which is something that he might encounter and learn more about. If, he pursued physics at the graduate level." Therefore, the associate prefix was chosen for this on-line entry.

Secondly, a few days later, the same instructor was seen reviewing a set of equations on the board. That resembled those used with the Lorentz Transformation. It looked like he was enumerating all of the sixteen "relativistic" possibilities: four different quadrants and positive or negative components describing the displacement vector.

Could someone provide a discrete non-Calculus based description of the Lorentz Transformation and possibly similar references for background reading and review?

Finally, as an educator, outside of the field of physics, who is near the site of his elementary school education. A strange inversion and reversal of directions and orientation when communicating has become glaringly apparent. Primarily because, memories are spatiotemporally located. And, life was vastly different; If not, diametrically-inverted, during those years of elementary school.

The earliest remembered descriptions of the numbering of the quadrants found among coordinate graphs were predicated on the location of the first. Which was in the northeastern corner (Q-I). Then, these progressed "clockwise". Until, they reached the fourth (Q-IV). At some juncture, during passed formal training, these started being numbered in a "counter clockwise" fashion. And, at times, (Q-I), the anchor, has been placed in the northwestern corner of the Cartesian grid. Which makes a "mirror-like", half-rotation of one's perspective and the flow of the quadrant's progression.

Also, the "earliest-description" of the positional numbering system, with its exponents and delimiters and learnt while a fourth grader, described the fractional-portion of a real number as residing on the "left-hand side" of the decimal. With, the weightiest digit on the far "right-hand" side of the value. And, those were the years. When, it was well-understood and communicated that English, as well as, nearly every other Western language was read starting on the right of the page. After which, one's eye scanned leftward. Until, it reached the leftmost part of that line; then, backward, downward, and across the page again. Until, one's eye eventually reached the lower left-hand corner.

Also, that is when it was well-established that any reachable number is finite; based upon the axioms of construction, which undergird our positional numbering system. And, the infinite, by intentional design, is both a unsurpassable and unreachable point on the number line. Because, any new location beyond that old infinity becomes, by the definition the new, and the old one becomes finite.

And, that long-since forgotten lesson resurfaced while working thorough a derivation among other graduate students in later years. One which was pivotal for the development of the theories in that course. As such, it seemed pertinent that a review be made of the fundamentals acquired during earlier years among the core academic subjects.

That is when, the inverted-nature of certain orientations found among diagrams and notations was detected as commonplace. Seemingly, they are the exact opposite of how they were initially introduced. And, it was realized that much had been forgotten concerning cardinal and ordinal numbers plus many other key fundamentals for mathematical learning. Plus, that puzzling, unanswered question concerning Lorentz's Transformation and whether the alternate derivation was truly correct or flawed resurfaced.

So, it seemed rather appropriate that someone who was writing artificially intelligent control routines for synthetic computational units should surely be a master of all of the concepts within the typical primary school and secondary mathematics curriculum. Otherwise, it is highly probable that his work might contain tangible, significant, and problematic reasoning flaws. The very type which might cause the equivalent of a VLSI-aneurism.

If, this question and these comments are not consistent with the policies of this forum. Feel free and remove them.Many Thanks
 
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What is the question?
 
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Immer Tzaddi said:
Could someone provide a discrete non-Calculus based description of the Lorentz Transformation
Google or any introductory textbook will do that.

It is important to recognize that the Lorentz transformation is something that is discovered, as opposed to derived. We are looking for a transformation that preserves the invariant speed of light, and once we have seen the LT it is easy to verify that it does. Thus, all “derivations” of the LT may be considered heuristic arguments that the LT is a promising candidate; the proof is in the demonstration that this candidate does indeed preserve the invariant speed of light.
Critics of relativity often point to some perceived erroror oversight in one or another derivation of the LT as evidence of a fundamental logical flaw in the theory; these arguments miss the point.
 
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Dale said:
What is the question?

An answer was supplied here [ https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...z-transformation-in-the-simplest-way.1009654/ ] More reading should have been done. The goal is the derivation of Lorentz Transformation from first principles in each quadrant of the standard coordinate system. Because, the choice of which should not matter. And if, that goes well. Then, the same will be attempted with the transformation in 3-space. With its eight possible options for starting regions. And, the same might be done with axis-crossings. Because, the end-result should be an invariant relationship. And, it has been quite a while since calculus, its derivatives, and its differentials have been manipulated regularly and the principle of physics handled. So, something with a very simple and incredibly elementary description was sought. It has been found. Many Thanks!
 
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Nugatory said:
Google or any introductory textbook will do that.

It is important to recognize that the Lorentz transformation is something that is discovered, as opposed to derived. We are looking for a transformation that preserves the invariant speed of light, and once we have seen the LT it is easy to verify that it does. Thus, all “derivations” of the LT may be considered heuristic arguments that the LT is a promising candidate; the proof is in the demonstration that this candidate does indeed preserve the invariant speed of light.
Critics of relativity often point to some perceived erroror oversight in one or another derivation of the LT as evidence of a fundamental logical flaw in the theory; these arguments miss the point.
The response is greatly appreciated!
 
  • #6
Immer Tzaddi said:
An answer was supplied here
Excellent. I will go ahead and close this thread then. I am glad you got an answer.
 

FAQ: Lorentz Transformation: Premises + Derivation

What are the premises of the Lorentz Transformation?

The Lorentz Transformation is based on two key premises: the principle of relativity and the constancy of the speed of light. The principle of relativity states that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference. The constancy of the speed of light asserts that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant and does not depend on the motion of the light source or the observer.

Why is the Lorentz Transformation important in physics?

The Lorentz Transformation is crucial because it reconciles the principles of special relativity with the observations of space and time. It shows how measurements of time, length, and other physical quantities differ for observers in different inertial frames of reference. This transformation is fundamental in understanding phenomena at high velocities, close to the speed of light, and has significant implications in modern physics, including the theory of relativity.

How is the Lorentz Transformation derived?

The derivation of the Lorentz Transformation begins with the two premises: the principle of relativity and the constancy of the speed of light. By considering two inertial frames of reference moving relative to each other at a constant velocity, and using the invariance of the speed of light, one can derive the transformation equations. These equations relate the coordinates and time in one frame to those in another, ensuring that the speed of light remains constant in both frames.

What are the Lorentz Transformation equations?

The Lorentz Transformation equations relate the space and time coordinates of events as observed in two different inertial frames of reference. If an event has coordinates (x, y, z, t) in one frame and (x', y', z', t') in another frame moving at velocity v relative to the first, the equations are:x' = γ(x - vt)y' = yz' = zt' = γ(t - vx/c²)where γ (the Lorentz factor) is defined as γ = 1/√(1 - v²/c²), and c is the speed of light.

What are some consequences of the Lorentz Transformation?

The Lorentz Transformation leads to several significant consequences in physics, including time dilation, length contraction, and the relativity of simultaneity. Time dilation means that a moving clock ticks slower compared to a stationary clock. Length contraction implies that objects moving at high velocities appear shorter along the direction of motion. The relativity of simultaneity indicates that events that are simultaneous in one frame of reference may not be simultaneous in another. These effects have been experimentally confirmed and are essential in understanding high-speed phenomena.

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