Prof.

David Hilditch Relatividade

André Cordeiro (TA) Week 1 — Solutions 2023/2024

Solution 1: Composition of Galilean Boosts

A Galilean boost with velocity u1 from coordinates (x, t) to coordinates (x′ , t′ ) is written

x′ = x − u1 t , t′ = t . (1)

Another boost with velocity u2 from (x′ , t′ ) to (x′′ , t′′ ) is written

x′′ = x′ − u2 t′ = (x − u1 t) − u2 t = x − (u1 + u2 ) t , (2)

t′′ = t′ = t′ , (3)

which corresponds to a Galilean boost with velocity v = u1 + u2 , as expected from the usual
classical addition of velocities. Note that we needed t′ = t in the second step of the first
equation. Therefore, this rule for velocity addition would not hold if time was left invariant
(i.e. if there were an absolute clock).

Solution 2: Estimates of β
See handwriten solutions.

Solution 3: Invariance of the wave equation

See handwritten solutions.

Solution 4: Classical Doppler Effect

a) The trajectories for each of the wave peaks in the frame of the source are

x1 (t) = (c − vs ) (t − t0 ) , (4)
x2 (t) = (c − vs ) (t − t0 − T ) . (5)

The slopes are fixed by the wave propagation speed, and the linear coefficients are fixed
by the emission times, x1 (t0 ) = 0, x2 (t0 + T ) = 0.

b) The transformation to the rest frame of the medium is an inverse Galilean boost with the
velocity of the source vs ,

y = x + vs t . (6)

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Prof. David Hilditch Relatividade
André Cordeiro (TA) Week 1 — Solutions 2023/2024

The trajectories for the wave peaks are

y1 (t) = c t − (c − vs ) t0 , (7)
y2 (t) = c t − (c − vs ) (t0 + T ) . (8)

The observed period in this reference frame is obtained by computing the times at which
the wave peaks cross the origin (or any other arbitrary point),
c − vs
y1 (t1 ) = 0 ⇐⇒ t1 = t0 , (9)
c
c − vs
y2 (t2 ) = 0 ⇐⇒ t2 = (t0 + T ) . (10)
c
The observed period is
c − vs
t2 − t1 = T, (11)
c
yielding an observed frequency of
c − vs
fmedium = fs , (12)
c
where fs = 1/T is the emitted frequency.
c) Transforming into the reference frame of the observer requires a Galilean boost with
velocity vr from the frame of the medium,
z = y − vr t , (13)
which produces the following trajectories,
z1 (t) = (c − vr ) t − (c − vs ) t0 , (14)
z2 (t) = (c − vr ) t − (c − vs ) (t0 + T ) . (15)

The times at which the observer receive each wave peak are
c − vs
z1 (ta ) = 0 ⇐⇒ ta = t0 , (16)
c − vr
c − vs
z2 (tb ) = 0 ⇐⇒ tb = (t0 + T ) . (17)
c − vr
This yields the observed frequency
c − vr
fr = fs . (18)
c − vs
The previous result corresponds to this expression in the case vr = 0, as expected.
Note that we could have set t0 = 0, which would correspond to a configuration where the
source and observer are at the same position, despite having different velocities.

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Prof. David Hilditch Relatividade
André Cordeiro (TA) Week 1 — Solutions 2023/2024

Solution 5: Galilean Transformations and Newton’s Second

Law
a) A Galilean boost in three dimensions is written

⃗ri ′ = ⃗ri − V⃗ t , (19)

t′ = t . (20)

First, show that the left-hand side of the equation is invariant,

d2 ′ d2  2
⃗ t = d ⃗ri .

⃗
r = ⃗
r i − V (21)
dt2 i dt2 dt2

Then, consider the relative position between particles i and j in the boosted frame,
   
′ ′ ⃗ ⃗
⃗ri − ⃗rj = ⃗ri − V t − ⃗rj − V t = ⃗ri − ⃗rj (22)

The most generic force that fits this description is, therefore
X
F⃗i = F⃗ ⃗ri − ⃗rj ; t ,


(23)
j̸=i

where F⃗ is some generic function of all of the relative positions. We have also included
time, which is left unchanged by Galilean boosts.

b) The momentum of a single particle i in the new frame is

d ′
p⃗i ′ = mi ⃗r (24)
dt i
d  ⃗

= mi ⃗ri − V t (25)
dt
d
= mi ⃗ri − mi V⃗ = p⃗i − mi V⃗ . (26)
dt

The total momentum of the system is P⃗ = i p⃗i , and transforms like

P

!
X X  X
P⃗ ′ = p⃗ ′ =i p⃗ − mi V⃗ = P⃗ −
i mi V⃗ . (27)
i i i

Identifying the sum in parenthesis as the total mass of the system M , this reads

P⃗ ′ = P⃗ − M V⃗ . (28)

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Prof. David Hilditch Relatividade
André Cordeiro (TA) Week 1 — Solutions 2023/2024

Differentiating this result with respect to time in the boosted frame, t′ = t, we see
d ⃗′ d ⃗ ⃗ = d P⃗ − M V⃗ = d P⃗ .
  
P = P − M V (29)
dt′ dt′ dt dt

This shows us that momentum conservation is preserved under Galilean transformations

— our choice of frame in describing the equations of motion does not affect conserved
quantities.

Solution 6: Motion under transformations

See handwritten solutions.