Understanding Proper Acceleration and Four-Acceleration in Special Relativity

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the concepts of proper acceleration and four-acceleration in the context of Special Relativity, specifically addressing the confusion surrounding Wikipedia articles on these topics. The four-acceleration is defined as the proper acceleration experienced by a particle along its world line, particularly in a co-moving inertial reference frame where the Lorentz factor γ equals 1. The relationship between proper acceleration (α) and coordinate acceleration (a) is clarified through the equation α = a * γ³. The user has edited the Wikipedia articles to correct inaccuracies and seeks validation of their edits.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Special Relativity concepts
  • Familiarity with Lorentz transformations and the Lorentz factor (γ)
  • Knowledge of proper acceleration and coordinate acceleration
  • Basic calculus for derivatives and integrals
NEXT STEPS
  • Review the Wikipedia articles on Four-acceleration and Proper acceleration for further insights.
  • Learn about the mathematical derivation of the relationship between proper and coordinate acceleration.
  • Explore the implications of four-acceleration in different inertial reference frames.
  • Investigate the applications of proper acceleration in real-world physics scenarios.
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in physics, particularly those studying Special Relativity, as well as educators seeking to clarify these concepts for their students.

granpa
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does anybody besides me find the following wikipedia articles confusing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-acceleration
a=du/dτ
γu is the Lorentz factor for the speed (coordinate velocity) u
In an instantaneously co-moving inertial reference frame u = 0, γu = 1 and dγu/dτ = 0, i.e. in such a reference frame
A =(0,a)
Therefore, the four-acceleration is equal to the proper acceleration that a moving particle "feels" moving along a world line.

should read:
Therefore, the four-acceleration within that co-moving inertial reference frame is equal to the proper acceleration that a moving particle "feels" moving along a world line.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proper_acceleration
The proper acceleration 3-vector, combined with a null time-component, yields the object's four-acceleration. (this is just plain wrong)

even though below that:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proper_acceleration#Viewed_from_a_flat_spacetime_slice
it correctly states:
proper acceleration α and coordinate acceleration a are related[6] through the Lorentz factor γ by α=a*γ^3
Hence the change in proper-velocity w=dx/dτ is the integral of proper acceleration over map-time t (coordinate time)
and gives these formulas:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/f/3/f/f3fd7fcce9b254111e10ca5bae382511.png

you can check that the derivative of proper velocity with respect to coordinate time is a*gamma^3 by entering v[t]/sqrt[1-((v[t])^2)] into this http://calc101.com/webMathematica/derivatives.jsp#topdoit
 
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I have edited the 2 wikipedia articles in question. I would very much appreciate it if someone would double check my work.
 

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