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    The Geometry of Special Relativity (Tevian Dray) - Slides

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    Anonymous Tph9x741
    Lorentz transformations are hyperbolic rotations that relate different reference frames in special relativity. They can be understood geometrically through hyperbola geometry, where the distance formula is ds2 = -c2dt2 + dx2. This treatment of special relativity through geometry was included in the first edition of Taylor and Wheeler's Spacetime Physics but removed from the second edition. The document argues this geometric approach provides a beautiful explanation of phenomena like length contraction and time dilation.

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    The Geometry of Special Relativity (Tevian Dray) - Slides

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    Anonymous Tph9x741
    592 views19 pages
    Lorentz transformations are hyperbolic rotations that relate different reference frames in special relativity. They can be understood geometrically through hyperbola geometry, where the distance formula is ds2 = -c2dt2 + dx2. This treatment of special relativity through geometry was included in the first edition of Taylor and Wheeler's Spacetime Physics but removed from the second edition. The document argues this geometric approach provides a beautiful explanation of phenomena like length contraction and time dilation.

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    Lorentz transformations are hyperbolic rotations that relate different reference frames in special relativity. They can be understood geometrically through hyperbola geometry, where the distance formula is ds2 = -c2dt2 + dx2. This treatment of special relativity through geometry was included in the first edition of Taylor and Wheeler's Spacetime Physics but removed from the second edition. The document argues this geometric approach provides a beautiful explanation of phenomena like length contraction and time dilation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    592 views19 pages

    The Geometry of Special Relativity (Tevian Dray) - Slides

    Uploaded by

    Anonymous Tph9x741
    Lorentz transformations are hyperbolic rotations that relate different reference frames in special relativity. They can be understood geometrically through hyperbola geometry, where the distance formula is ds2 = -c2dt2 + dx2. This treatment of special relativity through geometry was included in the first edition of Taylor and Wheeler's Spacetime Physics but removed from the second edition. The document argues this geometric approach provides a beautiful explanation of phenomena like length contraction and time dilation.

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    The document discusses different geometries including circle, hyperbola, Euclidean, Minkowskian and their relationships to special relativity.

    The geometries discussed include circle geometry, hyperbola geometry, Euclidean geometry, Minkowskian/Lorentzian geometry and their applications to special relativity.

    Special relativity is shown to relate to hyperbolic geometry through the use of hyperbolic trigonometry and the fact that the Minkowski spacetime diagram can be viewed as a hyperboloid.

    THE GEOMETRY OF

    SPECIAL RELATIVITY

    Tevian Dray
    Oregon State University
    I:
    II:
    III:
    IV:

    Circle Geometry
    Hyperbola Geometry
    Special Relativity
    What Next?

    CIRCLE GEOMETRY

    . (cos , sin )
    5

    r = arclength

    cos =

    4
    3
    = tan =
    5
    4

    WHICH GEOMETRY?
    Euclidean
    ds2 = dx2 + dy 2
    A = ( sin , cos )

    y
    A

    B = (cos , sin )
    B

    tan =

    Trigonometry!

    3
    4

    MEASUREMENTS
    Width:
    1

    1
    cos

    1
    cos

    Apparent width > 1

    Slope:

    y
    y

    m 6= m1 + m2

    Return

    HYPERBOLA GEOMETRY

    . (cosh , sinh )
    1

    x2 y 2 = 1

    r = arclength
    ds2 = |dx2 dy 2|

    cosh =
    e +e
    2

    e e
    sinh =
    2

    HYPERBOLIC TRIANGLE TRIG

    d sinh

    d cosh

    4
    3
    5

    tanh = 3/5

    tanh = 4/5

    RIGHT TRIANGLES
    y

    y
    A

    x
    x

    right angles are not angles!

    WHICH GEOMETRY?
    signature
    (+ + ... +) Euclidean
    ( + ... +) Minkowskian
    ct

    ds2 = c2 dt2 + dx2

    ct
    A

    B = (cosh , sinh )
    x

    4
    3

    tanh =

    Special Relativity!

    3
    5

    SPECIAL RELATIVITY
    ct

    ct
    A

    x
    x

    v
    = tanh
    c
    u
    v
    tanh + tanh
    c + c
    tanh( + ) =
    =
    1 + tanh tanh 1 + uv
    c2

    Einstein addition formula!


    Compare

    LENGTH CONTRACTION
    ct

    ct

    ct

    = cosh

    ct

    =
    cosh

    Compare

    TIME DILATION
    ct

    ct

    x
    x

    COSMIC RAYS
    (Taylor & Wheeler, 1st edition, Ex. 42, p. 89.)
    Consider -mesons produced by the collision of cosmic rays with gas nuclei in
    the atmosphere 60 kilometers above the surface of the earth, which then move
    vertically downward at nearly the speed of light. The half-life before -mesons
    decay into other particles is 1.5 microseconds (1.5 106 s).
    Assuming it doesnt decay, how long would it take a -meson to reach the
    surface of the earth?
    60 km
    = 200 s
    m
    8
    3 10 s
    Assuming there were no time dilation, about what fraction of the mesons
    reaches the earth?
    400
    200 s
    =
    half-lives
    3
    3
    2 s per half-life
    In actual fact, roughly 18 of the mesons would reach the earth! How fast are
    they going?

    COSMIC RAYS
    400
    3

    half-lives 400
    =
    3 half-lives
    9

    400

    v
    = tanh =
    c

    4002 92
    .99974684
    400

    COSMIC RAYS
    (60 km)(1000 m )
    400
    km
    =
    9
    (4.5 106 s)(3 108 m
    s)
    400

    v
    400
    .99974697
    = tanh =
    2
    2
    c
    400 + 9

    TWIN PARADOX
    One twin travels 24 light-years to star X at speed 24
    25 c; her twin brother stays
    home. When the traveling twin gets to star X, she immediately turns around,
    and returns at the same speed. How long does each twin think the trip took?
    24

    25

    7
    24

    25
    cosh =
    7

    25

    q=

    7
    49
    =
    cosh 25

    7
    49/25

    Straight path takes longest!

    SUMMARY
    Lorentz transformations are hyperbolic rotations
    Beautifully treated in Taylor & Wheeler, 1st ed
    Removed from Taylor & Wheeler, 2nd edition
    Not currently covered in existing texts

    http://www.math.oregonstate.edu/~tevian/geometry

    WHICH GEOMETRY?
    signature
    flat
    curved
    (+ + ... +) Euclidean Riemannian
    ( + ... +) Minkowskian

    ds2 = r2(d2 + sin2 d2)

    Tidal forces!

    WHICH GEOMETRY?
    signature
    flat
    curved
    (+ + ... +) Euclidean Riemannian
    ( + ... +) Minkowskian Lorentzian

    ds2 = dt2 + a(t) dx2


    Cosmology!
    (c = 1)

    dr
    2

    dt
    +
    ds2 = 1 2m
    r
    2m
    1 r

    +r

    General Relativity!

    d + sin d

    THE GEOMETRY OF
    SPECIAL RELATIVITY

    Tevian Dray
    Oregon State University
    http://www.math.oregonstate.edu/~tevian/geometry

    Start

    Close

    Exit

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