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from Part I - Galilean and special relativity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2013
Foundations of special relativity
The special theory of relativity has had a profound impact upon notions of time and space within the scientific and philosophic communities. This well-established model of local coordinate transformations in the universe is built upon two fundamental postulates:
• The principle of relativity: the laws of physics apply in all inertial reference systems;
• The universality of the speed of light: the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all inertial observers, regardless of the motion of the source or observer.
The principle of relativity is not unique to the special theory of relativity; indeed it is assumed within Galilean relativity. However, if the equations of electrodynamics described by Maxwell's equations describe laws of nature, then the second postulate immediately follows from the first, since Maxwell's equations predict a universal speed of propagation of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum. The consequences of these postulates will be developed briefly.
Lorentz transformations
One of the most direct routes towards developing the transformations satisfying the postulates of special relativity involves examining the distance traveled by a propagating light pulse: (Δx)2 + (Δy)2 + (Δz)2 = (Δct)2.
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