# Lorentz transformations explanation?

1. Mar 17, 2005

### guevaramartyr

sorry, i'm not particularly well versed in this field. can someone explain the lorentz transformations to me?

2. Mar 18, 2005

### mathman

Use Google to search for "Lorentz transformation". You will get a lot of hits explaining it.

3. Mar 23, 2005

### eNathan

If I traveled at 75% the speed of light (.75c) for 1 hour, did one hour really pass for me? No, only .66 hours passed for me, or 39.6 minuts. I found this by uising the lorenz transformation $\sqrt{1- \frac{v^2}{c^2}}$ The evidence is here...
The exact same goes for a decrease in length, and an increas in math exept its a factor using division for the latter.
sorry if the latex is a little off

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 23, 2005
4. Mar 23, 2005

Staff Emeritus
Wrong. You would experience the same thing you did at rest (Postulate I of SR, Galilean relativity: Every inertial frame experiences the same physics). The unmentioned frame with respect to which you have that .75c speed would see your lengths shortened and your clocks slowed.

5. Mar 23, 2005

### eNathan

well that is obvious. Relativistic effects only occur from another frame of reference :grumpy: Even if time did slow down for you, you cant notice a difference. And it's not only clocks that slow down, its everything that time effects. I guess you just like the feeling of telling people they are wrong :rofl: I think if you are going to tell people
you should atleast explain who does time really slow down for, it would help people understand better.

Last edited: Mar 23, 2005
6. Mar 23, 2005

### Staff: Mentor

Lighten up, eNathan! You made a mistake (or at least made a very confusing statement); selfAdjoint just pointed it out. (It's his sworn duty as a mentor... he had no choice!)

7. Mar 23, 2005

### eNathan

Isn't that nice. But people here seem to criticize things that are right, wrong, and in the middle.

8. Mar 25, 2005

### Project

Yes. It's all very simple. Clock time can be conceptualized with moving rulers in such a way that the astonishing connection between space and time can be clearly understood.

http://www.everythingimportant.org/relativity/special.pdf

Last edited: Mar 25, 2005
9. Mar 25, 2005

### HallsofIvy

Staff Emeritus

But correcting and clarifying are not "criticizing". You are the only one criticizing here.

10. Mar 26, 2005

### guevaramartyr

sorry to put you all through this, but i looked it up in the encyclopedia of physics lol. thanks anyway for being supporting.

11. Mar 26, 2005

### JesseM

I think it was pretty clear what eNathan meant from the context (i.e. if you see me travel at 0.75c for 1 hour in your frame, then in my frame the journey only lasted 0.66 hours)--selfAdjoint was just being a bit pedantic (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, even though eNathan understood it, others could have been confused I guess).

12. Mar 27, 2005

### Staff: Mentor

I see your point. And eNathan's as well.