Four-vector: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 13:05, 18 July 2003 editDysprosia (talk \| contribs)28,388 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit		Revision as of 18:57, 18 July 2003 edit undoStevenj (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users14,829 edits a four-vector in physics is a more specific kind of object than a generic 4-tupleNext edit →
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	In ], a '''four-vector'''~~, or 4-tuple,~~ is a ] in a four-dimensional real ], whose components transform like the space and time coordinates (''ct'', ''x'', ''y'', ''z'') under spatial rotations and ''boosts'' (a change by a constant velocity to another ]). The set of all such rotations and boosts, called ] and described by 4×4 matrices, forms the Lorentz group.		In ], a '''four-vector''' is a ] in a four-dimensional real ], whose components transform like the space and time coordinates (''ct'', ''x'', ''y'', ''z'') under spatial rotations and ''boosts'' (a change by a constant velocity to another ]). The set of all such rotations and boosts, called ] and described by 4×4 matrices, forms the Lorentz group.

	Examples of four-vectors include the coordinates (''ct'', ''x'', ''y'', ''z'') themselves, the four-current (''c''ρ, '''J''') formed from charge density ρ and current density '''J''', the electromagnetic four-potential (φ, '''A''') formed from the scalar potential φ and vector potential '''A''', and the four-momentum (''E''/''c'', '''p''') formed from the (relativistic) energy ''E'' and momentum '''p'''. The ] (''c'') is often used to ensure that the first coordinate (''time-like'', labeled by index 0) has the same units as the following three coordinates (''space-like'', labeled by indices 1,..,3).		Examples of four-vectors include the coordinates (''ct'', ''x'', ''y'', ''z'') themselves, the four-current (''c''ρ, '''J''') formed from charge density ρ and current density '''J''', the electromagnetic four-potential (φ, '''A''') formed from the scalar potential φ and vector potential '''A''', and the four-momentum (''E''/''c'', '''p''') formed from the (relativistic) energy ''E'' and momentum '''p'''. The ] (''c'') is often used to ensure that the first coordinate (''time-like'', labeled by index 0) has the same units as the following three coordinates (''space-like'', labeled by indices 1,..,3).

Revision as of 18:57, 18 July 2003

In relativity, a four-vector is a vector in a four-dimensional real vector space, whose components transform like the space and time coordinates (ct, x, y, z) under spatial rotations and boosts (a change by a constant velocity to another inertial reference frame). The set of all such rotations and boosts, called Lorentz transformations and described by 4×4 matrices, forms the Lorentz group.

Examples of four-vectors include the coordinates (ct, x, y, z) themselves, the four-current (cρ, J) formed from charge density ρ and current density J, the electromagnetic four-potential (φ, A) formed from the scalar potential φ and vector potential A, and the four-momentum (E/c, p) formed from the (relativistic) energy E and momentum p. The speed of light (c) is often used to ensure that the first coordinate (time-like, labeled by index 0) has the same units as the following three coordinates (space-like, labeled by indices 1,..,3).

The scalar product between four-vectors a and b is defined as follows:

a\cdot b=\left({\begin{matrix}a_{0}&a_{1}&a_{2}&a_{3}\end{matrix}}\right)\left({\begin{matrix}-1&0&0&0\\0&1&0&0\\0&0&1&0\\0&0&0&1\end{matrix}}\right)\left({\begin{matrix}b_{0}\\b_{1}\\b_{2}\\b_{3}\end{matrix}}\right)=-a_{0}b_{0}+a_{1}b_{1}+a_{2}b_{2}+a_{3}b_{3}

Strictly speaking, this is not a proper inner product, since its value can be negative. Like the ordinary dot product of three-vectors, however, the result of this scalar product is a scalar: it is invariant under any Lorentz transformation. (This property is sometimes use to define the Lorentz group.) The 4×4 matrix in the above definition is called the metric tensor, sometimes denoted by g; its sign is a matter of convention, and some authors multiply it by -1.

The laws of physics are also postulated to be invariant under Lorentz transformations. An object in an inertial reference frame will perceive the universe as if the universe were Lorentz-transformed so that the perceiving object is stationary.