Tagged Questions

0
votes
1answer
123 views

Why does weak equivalence principle say gravity is equivalent to acceleration?

I am told that the weak equivalent principle, that $m_i=m_g$ (inertial and gravitational masses are equivalent) is equivalent to the statement that in a small system you can't tell whether you are in ...
5
votes
1answer
120 views

The notion called aether

I am trying to learn relativity theory and going through an introductory text on special relativity. I stumbled on the Michelson-Morley experiment. The book claims (accounts) that the result of this ...
7
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8answers
483 views

Is “Causality” the equivalent of a claim that the future is predictable based on the present and the past?

In classical (Newtonian) mechanics, every observer had the same past and the same future and if you had perfect knowledge about the current state of all particles in the universe, you could ...
14
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1answer
542 views

Phase space volume and relativity

Much of statistical mechanics is derived from Liouville's theorem, which can be stated as "the phase space volume occupied by an ensemble of isolated systems is conserved over time." (I'm mostly ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views

Why doesn't relativistic momentum appear conserved in this frame?

Suppose I have an inelastic head on collision between two idential particles of mass $m$ that come to rest in the centre of momentum frame where relativistic momentum is obviously conserved. If I now ...
2
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2answers
212 views

Calculate relativistic boost to COM frame from two arbitary velocities?

Looking in Goldstein's book, there doesn't seem to be a standard formula to calculate the COM frame velocity for two particles, from their relativistic velocities in the lab frame, although it is done ...
3
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1answer
378 views

Can relativistic kinetic energy be derived from Newtonian kinetic energy?

Relativistic kinetic energy is usually derived by assuming a scalar quantity is conserved in an elastic collision thought experiment, and deriving the expression for this quantity. To me, it looks ...
2
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2answers
314 views

Is the change in kinetic energy of a particle frame independent?

Intuitively, I would expect the change in kinetic energy of a particle to be frame independent. It just doesn't "feel" right that between two points in time-space, one frame should measure a change in ...
3
votes
2answers
134 views

Does locality emerge from (classical) Lagrangian mechanics?

Consider a (classical) system of several interacting particles. Can it be shown that, if the Lagrangian of such a system is Lorenz invariant, there cannot be any space-like influences between the ...
3
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1answer
188 views

Some questions about the logics of the principles of independence of motion and composition of motion

In high-school level textbooks* one encounters often the principles of independence of motion and that of composition (or superpositions) of motions. In this context this is used as "independence of ...
3
votes
2answers
344 views

Relativistic effects

When are relativistic effects justifiably negligible? (I know that that is true for 'small velocities', but how small is 'small enough'?) 0.1c, 0.01c, etc.? And how does one properly justify that? I ...
9
votes
2answers
350 views

Essential background for QFT study

The preface to Mark Srednicki's "Quantum Field Theory" says that to be prepared for the book, one must recognize and understand the following equations: $$\frac{d\sigma}{d\Omega} = ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views

Maximum speed of a rocket with a potential of relativistic speeds

Ultimately, the factor limiting the maximum speed of a rocket is: the amount of fuel it carries the speed of ejection of the gases the mass of the rocket the length of the rocket ...
5
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2answers
196 views

Why absoluteness of time implies galilean transformations?

In Landau course, vol.1 Mechanics, one finds the statement: "...the absoluteness of time necessarily implies that the ordinary law of composition of velocities is applicable to all phenomena." I ...
1
vote
2answers
241 views

Under what conditions do the Galilean transformatons become more accurate?

For S and S' in standard configuration, the Galilean transformations are: x' = x - vt, y' = y, z' = z, t' = t From the Lorentz transformations for v << c: x' = x - vt, y' = y, z' = z, t' = t ...
11
votes
2answers
1k views

Is kinetic energy a relative quantity? Will it make inconsistent equations when applying it to the conservation of energy equations?

If the velocity is a relative quantity, will it make inconsistent equations when applying it to the conservation of energy equations? For example: In the train moving at $V$ relative to ground, ...
2
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3answers
428 views

Why is it hopeless to view differential geometry as the limit of a discrete geometry?

This is a follow-up question to Introductions to discrete space-time: Why is this line of thought hopeless? Classical mechanics can be understood as the limit of relativistic mechanics $RM_c$ ...