The usage of the terms rotation and boost

kent davidge
If two coordinate systems are related by a rotation or a boost, does it make sense to say the tensors components are rotated or boosted with respect to their components in the original coordinates? For vectors, I think it is standard to say that, but what about general tensors?

Gold Member
A tensor could be also a vector.One call it a one tensor.A rotation is only a mathematical construction.Of course, a boost is also a rotation but with a physical meaning involved .Here you make a rotation in a Lorentz invariant manner.So the (relativistic)physics holds under this specific transformation.In this case you rotate you Frame Of Reference by an angle theta .

kent davidge
kent davidge
A tensor could be also a vector
I know that
One call it a one tensor.A rotation is only a mathematical construction.Of course, a boost is also a rotation but with a physical meaning involved .Here you make a rotation in a Lorentz invariant manner.So the (relativistic)physics holds under this specific transformation.In this case you rotate you Frame Of Reference by an angle theta .
I also know that

Mentor
For vectors, I think it is standard to say that

I'm not sure it is. It's standard to say that vectors are rotated or boosted, but I'm not sure it's standard to say that vector components are.

Tensors of higher rank than 1 do not have a single "direction", so speaking of them as rotated or boosted by a coordinate transformation would not seem to make as much intuitive sense as the corresponding statement for a vector, which does have a single direction.

troglodyte and kent davidge
Gold Member