Affine spaces and time-varying vector fields

In summary, Galilean space-time can be defined as a four-dimensional vector space G_{v}^{4} over the field \mathbb{R} which acts (sharply transitive) on a set G_{p}^{4}. It is also known as Galilean space-time as defined in various sources. This space induces two metrics, a time difference metric and a distance metric, which are used to define equivalence classes in G_{p}^{4}. These classes are isomorphic to Euclidean point space E_{p}^{3}. To connect this space-time with scalar and vector fields, Galilean coordinate space \mathbb{R}^{4} can be used, where a time-vary
  • #1
Wox
70
0
Consider the following affine space [itex]\mathbb{G}[/itex]
1. a four-dimensional vector space [itex]G_{v}^{4}[/itex] over field [itex]\mathbb{R}[/itex] which acts (sharply transitive) on a set [itex]G_{p}^{4}[/itex]
2. a surjective linear functional from [itex]G_{v}^{4}[/itex] to its field, which kernel is isomorphic with three-dimensional Euclidean vector space
[tex]t_{L}\colon G_{v}^{4}\to \mathbb{R}\colon\text{Ker}(t_{L})\cong E_{v}^{3}[/tex]
(I will treat Euclidean space [itex]\mathbb{E}^{n}[/itex] in the strict sense: an affine space where inner product space [itex]E_{v}^{n}[/itex] acts on point space [itex]E_{p}^{n}[/itex])


This affine space is known as Galilean space-time as defined for example http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/home/schweigert/ws09/pskript.pdf and http://www.mast.queensu.ca/~andrew/teaching/math439/pdf/chapter1.pdf.

This definition induces two metrics in Galilean point space [itex]G_{p}^{4}[/itex]. The first is called the time difference:
[tex]d_{t}\colon G_{p}^{4}\times G_{p}^{4}\to \mathbb{R}\colon (p,q)\mapsto d_{t}(p,q)=t_{L}(q-p)[/tex]
The following equivalence relation is derived from this metric: the points in [itex]G_{p}^{4}[/itex] (called events) are "simultaneous" when their time difference is zero. This partitions [itex]G_{p}^{4}[/itex] in equivalence classes
[tex]\text{Cl}_{\text{sim}}(p)=\{q\in G_{p}^{4}\colon d_{t}(p,q)=0\}[/tex]
The difference vectors in a class are given by [itex]\text{Ker}(t_{L})[/itex] so a second metric is induces in each equivalence class, which is called the distance between simultaneous events
[tex]d_{e}\colon \text{Cl}_{\text{sim}}(p)\times \text{Cl}_{\text{sim}}(p)\to \mathbb{R}\colon (p_{1},p_{2})\mapsto d_{e}(p_{1},p_{2})=d(p_{1},p_{2})=||p_{2}-p_{1}||[/tex]
where "d" the Euclidean distance in Euclidean point space, which is itself induced by the norm in Euclidean vector space [itex]E_{v}^{3}[/itex]. So Galilean point space [itex]G_{p}^{4}[/itex] is actually a union of classes which are all isomorphic with Euclidean point space [itex]E_{p}^{3}[/itex].

In this rather basic space-time I want to start working with scalar and vector fields, which are defined as the functions
[tex]f\colon\mathbb{R}^{3}\to\mathbb{R} \colon\vec{x}\mapsto f(\vec{x})[/tex]
[tex]\vec{F}\colon\mathbb{R}^{3}\to\mathbb{R}^{3}\colon\vec{x}\mapsto\vec{F}(\vec{x})[/tex]
where [itex]\mathbb{R}^{3}[/itex] Euclidean coordinate space isomorphic with [itex]E_{v}^{3}[/itex].

Now my question: how do I connect in a strictly mathematical sense the concept of Galilean space-time with scalar and vector fields (which will be time-varying)?

I tried concidering Galilean coordinate space [itex]\mathbb{R}^{4}[/itex] which is isomorphic with Galilean vector space [itex]G_{v}^{4}[/itex] so that
[tex]t_{L}\colon \mathbb{R}^{4}\to \mathbb{R}\colon\text{Ker}(t_{L})\cong \mathbb{R}^{3}[/tex]
so I can define a scalar or vector field on the kernel of [itex]t_{L}[/itex] but I don't know how to formalize the time-varying aspect of the scalar or vector field. Any ideas?
 
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  • #2
i don't really follow your drift too well, but a time dependent vector field on R^n is just a map RxR^n--->R^n.

i.e. you just put in an extra variable to be time. will that work for you?
 
  • #3
That works on a practical level, but my question is more theoretical: how do I bring this practical/intuitive idea of time varying vector fields in the mathematical description of space-time. The purpose of my drift was to indicate on which level I wanted to "understand the connection".

Of course Galilean space-time is obsolete in a way, but it is a valid construction to describe classical laws.
 

1. What is an affine space?

An affine space is a mathematical concept that represents a space with no fixed origin or coordinate system. It consists of a set of points, along with a set of vectors that can be used to translate points within the space.

2. How do affine spaces differ from vector spaces?

While vector spaces have a fixed origin and coordinate system, affine spaces do not. This means that in an affine space, the concept of displacement is more important than the concept of absolute position.

3. What are time-varying vector fields?

Time-varying vector fields are mathematical representations of vector fields that change or evolve over time. This can be represented as a function that takes into account both spatial and temporal variables.

4. How are affine spaces and time-varying vector fields related?

Affine spaces can be used to model time-varying vector fields, as the concept of displacement is essential in both. Time-varying vector fields can be seen as a way of describing how vectors change in an affine space over time.

5. What are some practical applications of affine spaces and time-varying vector fields?

Affine spaces and time-varying vector fields have various applications in fields such as physics, computer graphics, and computer vision. They can be used to model motion, deformation, and other dynamic processes in a wide range of systems, from fluid flow to facial expressions.

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