Special Relativity Equation: Is This Accurate?

[Ryan Bruch]

While surfing the internet, I came across a statement that this is the equation for special relativity:

Line 1: x = a + b
Line 2: x = a + b (c²/c²) with c = speed of light
Line 3: x = a + (y/c²) if y = b(c²)

Is this really the one? If not, is it relevant at all?

 

[Matterwave]

I have no idea what those equations are, I have never seen them before. Also, they seem to all be the same since the c's will cancel from top to bottom and you'll just get x=a+b for all 3 "lines".

 

[pervect]

While surfing the internet, I came across a statement that this is the equation for special relativity:

Line 1: x = a + b
Line 2: x = a + b (c²/c²) with c = speed of light
Line 3: x = a + (y/c²) if y = b(c²)

Is this really the one? If not, is it relevant at all?

This seems to be some garbled version of the Lorentz transform, but it's not coherent enough for me to be to be sure, as there is no explanation of what the equations mean. For more details on the Lorentz transform, see for instance the wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lorentz_transformation&oldid=628048814

The Lorentz transform provides a transformation between the coordinates in two different inertial frames, moving relative to each other with velocity v. Because every event in space-time has one and only one set of coordinates, there is a 1:1 mapping between events and their coordinates. This implies there is also a 1:1 mapping between the coordinates between any two inertial frames, including the particular case we are interested in where the two inertial frames are in relative motion. The Lorentz transform provides this 1:1 mapping explicitly. Letting the coordinates in the first inertial frame (presumed stationary) be (t, x,y,z), and the coordinates in the second inertial frame (assumed to be moving with velocity v relative to the first inertial frame) be (t', x' y', z'), we can write the Lorentz transform as:

$t' = \gamma \left(t - vx/c^2\right) \quad x' = \gamma \left(x - vt \right) \quad y' = y \quad z'=z$

Here v is the velocity between frames, and $\gamma = 1 / \sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2}$

 

[ghwellsjr]

While surfing the internet, I came across a statement..

How about providing a link to the statement so we can see the context?

 

[sardar]

I can confirm that this is not the accurate equation for special relativity. The correct equation for special relativity, as proposed by Albert Einstein, is E=mc^2 where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light. This equation states that energy and mass are equivalent and can be converted into one another.

The equations provided in the statement do not accurately represent the principles of special relativity. The first equation (Line 1) is a simple algebraic equation and does not have any relation to special relativity. The second equation (Line 2) seems to be an attempt to incorporate the speed of light into the equation, but the use of c^2 in the denominator is incorrect. In the third equation (Line 3), the variable y is not defined, and the equation does not have any clear meaning.

It is important to note that special relativity is a complex theory that is based on the principles of time dilation and length contraction, which cannot be accurately represented by a single equation. While the equation E=mc^2 is the most well-known and widely used equation in special relativity, it is just one aspect of the theory.

In conclusion, the equations provided in the statement are not accurate representations of special relativity and therefore, are not relevant to the theory. As scientists, it is important to ensure that we use accurate and verified information to understand and explain scientific concepts.