Tagged Questions
6
votes
4answers
102 views
In coordinate-free relativity, how do we define a vector?
Relativity can be developed without coordinates: Laurent 1994 (SR), Winitzski 2007 (GR).
I would normally define a vector by its transformation properties: it's something whose components change ...
2
votes
2answers
415 views
Nature of spacetime 4-vector and tangent space?
An entry level confusion about spacetime. I understand that a 4-vector describes a point or event in spacetime. But I've also read (Bertschinger, 1999) that re spacetime "we are discussing tangent ...
7
votes
6answers
800 views
Quaternions and 4-vectors
I recently realised that quaternions could be used to write intervals or norms of vectors in special relativity:
$(t,ix,jy,kz)^2 = t^2 + (ix)^2 + (jy)^2 + (kz)^2 = t^2 - x^2 - y^2 - z^2$
Is it ...
