I Mobius Transformation: Physical Significance?

  • I
  • Thread starter Thread starter Layman FJ
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Transformation
AI Thread Summary
Mobius transformations in geometry assume that a line can be viewed as a circle of infinite radius, raising questions about their physical significance. These transformations map straight lines to lines or circles and circles to lines or circles, utilizing stereographic projection from a plane to a sphere. In physics, they are associated with the group structure known as SL(2, C), which provides insights into Lorentz transformations. This connection highlights the relevance of Mobius transformations in understanding geometric and physical phenomena. The discussion emphasizes the interplay between geometry and physics through these transformations.
Layman FJ
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
In Mobius geometry it is assumed that a line is a circle of infinite radius.Does this have any physical significance?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
  • Like
Likes Layman FJ
Thanks
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...
Is it possible to arrange six pencils such that each one touches the other five? If so, how? This is an adaption of a Martin Gardner puzzle only I changed it from cigarettes to pencils and left out the clues because PF folks don’t need clues. From the book “My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles”. Dover, 1994.
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagoras'
I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...
Back
Top