Laws of physics in four-vector form. A question.

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the necessity of expressing the laws of physics in four-vector form to ensure invariance across all inertial frames. The Lorentz interval is highlighted as invariant, making the four-vector formalism a convenient choice for representing physical laws. While alternative formalisms exist that do not inherently incorporate Lorentz invariance, they obscure this fundamental aspect rather than making it explicit. The conversation also touches on the use of antisymmetric tensors in electromagnetism, which can be derived from four-vector potentials but do not strictly adhere to four-vector form.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of four-vectors in physics
  • Familiarity with Lorentz invariance
  • Knowledge of covariant tensor form
  • Basic principles of electromagnetism
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  • Study the mathematical formulation of four-vectors in special relativity
  • Explore the concept of Lorentz invariance in depth
  • Learn about covariant tensor analysis and its applications
  • Investigate the relationship between four-vectors and antisymmetric tensors in electromagnetism
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Physicists, students of theoretical physics, and anyone interested in the mathematical foundations of relativity and electromagnetism will benefit from this discussion.

lslusa
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Please explain me in mathematical way, why the laws of physics have to be written in four-vector form to remain unchanged in every inertial frame.
 
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The Lorentz interval is invariant. Using the 4-vector form makes the invariance of the Lorentz interval part of the formalism of the description of the laws of physics. It's possible to use other formalisms that don't have Lorentz invariance "built in", so in that sense you don't "have to" write the laws of physics in 4-vector form. It's just very convenient. An alternate description that got the same result would just "hide" the Lorentz invariance, rather than making it manifest.
 
lslusa said:
Please explain me in mathematical way, why the laws of physics have to be written in four-vector form to remain unchanged in every inertial frame.

As written, your question is a little too restrictive, I think. There are laws pertaining to electromagnetism, for instance, that can be written in terms of a certain antisymmetric tensor, which is not the same as a four-vector. (It so happens that the tensor in question can be written in terms of derivatives of a four-vector potential, but that's an issue for another day.) Maybe your question should be re-phrased as "Why do the laws have to be written in covariant tensor form?" But then, as pervect has pointed out, they don't absolutely have to be written that way. In fact, for decades electromagnetism used the fields E, D, B, and H, which in fact are three-vectors and three-pseudovectors, and thus are not covariant.
 

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