Issues

 / 

2011

 / 

May

←  →

Methodological notes


A rigorous minimum-assumption derivation of the Lorentz transformation


College of Physics Science and Technology, Heilongjiang University, Xuefu Road 74 , Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150080, China

The available derivations of the Lorentz transformation (LT) are of questionable validity because they introduce some assumptions in addition to Einstein’s two fundamental postulates or, even if they do not do so, are highly abstract and abstruse (as is the case with two or three ’exact’ derivations). The rigorous LT derivation proposed in this paper has only the constant speed of light and two thought experiments as its underlying assumptions. With the constant speed of light used to prove all the necessary assumptions, no additional assumptions are needed. Our systematic approach explains in a convincing way why stress is irrelevant to length contraction.

Fulltext pdf (124 KB)
Fulltext is also available at DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.0181.201105g.0553
PACS: 01.40.−d, 03.30.+p (all)
DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.0181.201105g.0553
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2011/5/f/
000294814900006
2-s2.0-80051883302
2011PhyU...54..529H
Citation: Huang X-B "A rigorous minimum-assumption derivation of the Lorentz transformation" Phys. Usp. 54 529–532 (2011)
BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks

Received: 13th, September 2010, 25th, November 2010

Оригинал: Хуан С-Б «Строгий вывод преобразования Лоренца на основе минимальных предположений» УФН 181 553–556 (2011); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0181.201105g.0553

References (9) Cited by (2) Similar articles (20) ↓

  1. Yu.I. Hovsepyan “Some notes on the relativistic Doppler effect” Phys. Usp. 41 941–944 (1998)
  2. E.G. Bessonov “Another route to the Lorentz transformations” Phys. Usp. 59 475–479 (2016)
  3. G.B. Malykin “Para-Lorentz transformations” Phys. Usp. 52 263–266 (2009)
  4. V.I. Ritus “Permutation asymmetry of the relativistic velocity addition law and non-Euclidean geometry” Phys. Usp. 51 709–721 (2008)
  5. G.B. Malykin “Application of the modified Duguay method for measuring the Lorentz contraction of a moving body length” Phys. Usp. 64 1058–1062 (2021)
  6. V.I. Ritus “On the difference between Wigner’s and Møller’s approaches to the description of Thomas precession” Phys. Usp. 50 95–101 (2007)
  7. G.B. Malykin “The Sagnac effect: correct and incorrect explanations” Phys. Usp. 43 1229 (2000)
  8. M.A. Demyanov, N.A. Kondratenko “The maximum range of a relativistic throw in a uniform force field” Phys. Usp. 69 (10) (2026)
  9. A.A. Logunov “The theory of the classical gravitational field” Phys. Usp. 38 179–193 (1995)
  10. V.B. Morozov “On the question of the electromagnetic momentum of a charged body” Phys. Usp. 54 371–374 (2011)
  11. V.A. Aleshkevich “On special relativity teaching using modern experimental data” Phys. Usp. 55 1214–1231 (2012)
  12. Gaite José “The relativistic virial theorem and scale invariance” Phys. Usp. 56 919–931 (2013)
  13. V.P. Makarov, A.A. Rukhadze “Force acting on a substance in an electromagnetic field” Phys. Usp. 52 937–943 (2009)
  14. A.I. Musienko, L.I. Manevich “Classical mechanical analogs of relativistic effects” Phys. Usp. 47 797–820 (2004)
  15. L.I. Antonov “Macroscopic representation of the magnetization vector field in a magnetic substance” Phys. Usp. 46 1203–1207 (2003)
  16. G.B. Malykin “The relation of Thomas precession to Ishlinskii’s theorem as applied to the rotating image of a relativistically moving body” Phys. Usp. 42 505–509 (1999)
  17. S.P. Kulik, S.N. Molotkov “Relativistic quantum key distribution between stationary objects based on coherent states” Phys. Usp. 69 (10) (2026)
  18. S.I. Syrovatskii “On the problem of the ’retardation’ of the relativistic contraction of moving bodies” Sov. Phys. Usp. 19 273–274 (1976)
  19. P.B. Ivanov “On relativistic motion of a pair of particles having opposite signs of masses” Phys. Usp. 55 1232–1238 (2012)
  20. M.I. Krivoruchenko “Rotation of the swing plane of Foucault’s pendulum and Thomas spin precession: two sides of one coin” Phys. Usp. 52 821–829 (2009)

The list is formed automatically.

© 1918–2026 Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk
Email: ufn@ufn.ru Editorial office contacts About the journal Terms and conditions