yogi said:I came across a paper recently that discussed the procedure Lorentz followed in his derivation, but it was incomplete. Does anyone have a reference that reproduces his steps - what got me wondering is how could Lorentz arrive at the same form as Einstein w/o impliedly introducing the postulate of one way constancy of light speed
Lorentz's derivation, also known as the Lorentz transformation or Lorentz-Einstein transformation, is a mathematical framework that describes how space and time are affected by the relative motion between two observers. It is important because it forms the basis for Einstein's theory of special relativity and has many practical applications in modern physics.
Hendrik Lorentz was a Dutch physicist who developed the Lorentz transformation in 1904, before Einstein published his theory of special relativity. Lorentz's contribution was in understanding the effects of motion on the fundamental laws of physics, particularly in relation to the concepts of time and space.
Lorentz's derivation was based on the concept of the ether, a hypothetical medium that was thought to fill all of space. However, Einstein's theory of special relativity did not rely on the existence of the ether and instead proposed that the laws of physics were the same for all observers regardless of their relative motion. Lorentz's derivation was an important precursor to Einstein's theory, providing a mathematical framework for understanding the effects of motion on space and time.
Lorentz's derivation has many practical applications in modern physics, including in the fields of particle physics, astrophysics, and engineering. Some examples include the design of particle accelerators, the calculation of time dilation in GPS systems, and the understanding of relativistic effects in high-speed travel.
One criticism of Lorentz's derivation is that it was based on the concept of the ether, which has since been disproven by modern physics. Additionally, some argue that Lorentz's derivation was not a complete description of the nature of space and time, as it did not fully account for the effects of gravity. However, despite these criticisms, Lorentz's derivation remains an important and influential concept in the history of physics.