Why Does t' Include vx/c² in Lorentz Transformations?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the Lorentz transformations, specifically the equation for time t' in relation to the spatial coordinate x. The term vx/c² arises from the need to account for the relative motion between two reference frames, ensuring that the speed of light remains constant in all frames. t' represents the time coordinate of an event as observed from a moving reference frame S', differing from the time coordinate t in the stationary frame S. This distinction is crucial in special relativity, where time is not absolute but varies with the observer's frame of reference. Understanding these transformations is essential for grasping the principles of special relativity.
Pochen Liu
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Homework Statement
I don't understand how they were derived
Relevant Equations
*as attached
I understand x' = λ(x - vt) but why does t' = λ(t - vx/c^2)? where does the vx/c^2 come from?
and honestly I don't understand what t' is.

because from what I understand is that t' is the length of time t as observed from the reference frame S'. which means t' = t*λ?
 

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This Wikipedia page gives a number of different derivations. The easiest (for me) to understand is the one called "Spherical wavefronts of light", which basically follows from the assumption that the speed of light is the same in all reference frames.
 
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Pochen Liu said:
Problem Statement: I don't understand how they were derived
Relevant Equations: *as attached

I understand x' = λ(x - vt) but why does t' = λ(t - vx/c^2)? where does the vx/c^2 come from?
and honestly I don't understand what t' is.

because from what I understand is that t' is the length of time t as observed from the reference frame S'. which means t' = t*λ?

It's better to say that ##t'## is the time coordinate of an event in frame S'.

In classical physics we have always ##t' =t##. So, no one bothered ever to write ##t'##, because ##t'## is always the same as ##t##. In SR, of course, the time coordinate is not the same in different frames and, indeed, the Lorentz Transformation transforms the time coordinate from one frame to another.
 
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