The Many Relative Spaces of Galileo and Poincare
| Scientific Paper | |
|---|---|
| Title | The Many Relative Spaces of Galileo and Poincare |
| Read in full | Link to paper |
| Author(s) | Zbigniew Oziewicz, William S Page |
| Keywords | {{{keywords}}} |
| Published | 2012 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the NPA |
| Volume | 9 |
| No. of pages | 4 |
| Pages | 406-409 |
Read the full paper here
Abstract
The central concept of the theory of relativity is relative velocity. The velocity of a material body is not an intrinsic property of this body; it depends on the 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 to exactly that one system. The theory of relativity formulated in terms of relative velocities, with many zero-velocities, does not imply the Lorentz isometry group. Moreover, we discuss a conceptual dichotomy: two different rival concepts of reference system: the Minkowski space-time observer-monad as time-like vector field, versus the Einstein space-time coordinate tetrad.