Abstract
The principle of the indistinguishability of inertial systems, or the equivalence of all of them, stands at the beginning of physics when it became an exact science.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Einstein uses the term ‘coordinate system’ instead of the term preferred in later years, that we also use, ‘reference system’ or ‘frame’.
- 2.
The former spelling used by FitzGerald, Lorentz and Einstein was ‘ether’ .
- 3.
In literature, it is conventionally called ‘reciprocity principle’. Since we will formulate in Sect. 3, a reciprocity theorem, that has nothing to do with this reciprocity principle, we use here the notion ‘elementary relativity’. Also Ignatowski (1910) used this term when he writes: ‘So it must apparently hold: \(q' = -q\), ...’. Furthermore, it has to be respected that the reciprocity principle is derived as consequence from the relativity principle, cp. Berzi, Gorini (1969), while our elementary relativity principle is independently only a synchronisation recipe.
- 4.
That means that the orientation of axes is conserved, i.e. for \(v\longrightarrow 0\) the space and time axes of inertial systems should have the same direction.
- 5.
From an arithmetic point of view, the entirety of transformations (63) represents a mathematical group, both for classical space-time with \(k = 1\), and for the relativistic case with \(k =1/\sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2}\), s. Chap. 3, Sect. 2 and Chap. 4, Sect. 4. In this way, the equivalence of inertial systems is secured.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Günther, H., Müller, V. (2019). The Relativity Principle. In: The Special Theory of Relativity. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7783-9_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7783-9_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-7782-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-7783-9
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)