What is the Relationship Between the Lorentz Transformations and Their Inverse?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between Lorentz transformations and their inverses in the context of special relativity. Participants are examining the mathematical properties and implications of these transformations, particularly focusing on their notation and the conditions that define their inverses.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are exploring the implications of differentiating the Lorentz transformation equations and questioning the necessity of this differentiation. There is also a focus on the notation used for the transformation matrices and their inverses.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with some participants providing insights into the notation and properties of the transformation matrices. There is an acknowledgment of a potential notation problem, and participants are attempting to clarify their understanding of the relationships between the transformations and their inverses.

Contextual Notes

There are indications of confusion regarding the notation and the mathematical steps involved in relating the transformations. Some participants express frustration with the complexity of the problem statement and the formatting issues encountered during the discussion.

stunner5000pt
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Givne the Lorentz transformations (LTs)}, [tex]x'^{\mu} = L_{\nu}^{\mu} x^{\nu}[/tex], between the coordinates, [tex]x^{\mu} = (ct , \vec{r})[/tex] of an event as seen by O, and coordinates, [tex]x'^{\mu} = (ct', \vec{r'})[/tex] of the same event as seen by an inertial observer O', show that if we write the inverse transformation as [tex]x^\alpha = \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\alpha} x'^{\beta},\mbox{then} \ L_{\omega}^{\alpha} \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\omega} = \delta_{\beta}^{\alpha}[/tex]

WELL from the inverse transformation we ca figure out that
1... [tex]\frac{\partial x^{\alpha}}{\partial x'^{\omega}} = \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\alpha} \frac{\partial x'^{\beta}}{\partial x'^{\omega}}[/tex]

also
2... [tex]\frac{\partial x'^{\alpha}}{\partial x^{\omega}} =L_{\beta}^{\alpha} \frac{\partial x^{\beta}}{\partial x^{\omega}}[/tex]

there is a notation problem here that i am trying to resolve as well...
do i simply rearrange for L and tilde L andmultiply out??
mroe to come as i type it out
 
Last edited:
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You didn't finish the statement of the problem!

Anyways, why did you differentiate anything?
 
p.s. corrected now
there was wayyy too much typing involved with the statement of the problem! AHH
 
Speaking of notation, since [itex]\Lambda[/itex] is a matrix, we use these conventions to denote its elements

[tex]\Lambda^{\mu}{}_{\nu} ^[/tex]

for the direct transformation matrix.

and

[tex]\Lambda_{\nu}{}^{\mu}[/tex]

for its transposed.

However, since both [itex]\Lambda[/itex] and its transposed belong to [itex]\mbox{O(1,3)}[/itex], then the inverse of [itex]\Lambda[/itex] is equal to its transposed.

Daniel.
 
There's something spooky with the latex compiler today...


Daniel.
 
stunner5000pt said:
Givne the Lorentz transformations (LTs)}, [tex]x'^{\mu} = L_{\nu}^{\mu} x^{\nu}[/tex], between the coordinates, [tex]x^{\mu} = (ct , \vec{r})[/tex] of an event as seen by O, and coordinates, [tex]x'^{\mu} = (ct', \vec{r'})[/tex] of the same event as seen by an inertial observer O', show that if we write the inverse transformation as [tex]x^\alpha = \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\alpha} x'^{\beta},\mbox{then} \ L_{\omega}^{\alpha} \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\omega} = \delta_{\beta}^{\alpha}[/tex]

WELL from the inverse transformation we ca figure out that
1... [tex]\frac{\partial x^{\alpha}}{\partial x'^{\omega}} = \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\alpha} \frac{\partial x'^{\beta}}{\partial x'^{\omega}}[/tex]

also
2... [tex]\frac{\partial x'^{\alpha}}{\partial x^{\omega}} =L_{\beta}^{\alpha} \frac{\partial x^{\beta}}{\partial x^{\omega}}[/tex]

there is a notation problem here that i am trying to resolve as well...
do i simply rearrange for L and tilde L andmultiply out??
mroe to come as i type it out

there is no need to get into partial derivatives. You only need to use [tex]x'^{\mu} = L_{\nu}^{\mu} x^{\nu}[/tex] and [tex]x^\alpha = \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\alpha} x'^{\beta}[/tex]...Putting one into the other gives
[tex]x^\alpha = \tilde{L}_{\beta}^{\alpha} L_{\nu}^{\beta} x^{\nu}[/tex]. But of course, when [tex]\alpha = \nu[/tex] the two sides are equal..Obviously, [tex]x^\alpha = \delta^\alpha_\nu x^\nu[/tex]. Therefore...
 

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