GALILEAN INVARIANCE

Lemuel Ian R. Guevara

John Mark B. Matulac

Victoria Karenina R. de la Paz

INTRODUCTION

Relativity Principle

the basic laws of Physics are the same in all inertial

reference frames

First described by Galileo Galilee in 1632 in

Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World
Systems

An observer doing experiments below the deck of a

ship travelling at constant speed, without rocking, on
a smooth sea would not be able to tell if the ship was
moving or stationary

INTRODUCTION

Same principle can be seen in airplanes

travelling at a constant velocity
Today, it is used in reference to Newtonian
mechanics (Newtons laws hold in all inertial
frames)
Also known as Galilean Relativity and
Newtonian Relativity

GALILEAN TRANSFORMATION EQUATIONS

Two reference
frames S and S
x and y refer to S
x and y refer to
SNow consider an

event that occurs

pt.xPaxes
xat
and
represented
overlap
one by
x, y, and z in
another
reference frame
S at the time t.
S moves to the
right at speed v
with
What
will betothe
respect
S
coordinates of P
in S?
O and O are
superimposed at
time t=0

GALILEAN TRANSFORMATION EQUATIONS

S will have
moved a
distance vt
since S and
S overlap
precisely
initially
after a time
t.
At time t,
x = x + vt
y = y
z = z
With
absolute
time,
t = t

GALILEAN TRANSFORMATION
EQNS.

If those in the S system are known then the S

coordinates are obtained from:
x = x vt
y = y
z = z
t = t

NOW SUPPOSE THAT POINT P IS A

MOVING OBJECT

Let the components of its velocity vector in S be

Now,

where all quantities are as measured in the S frame

If at time t1 the particle is at x1 and a short while

later, t2 it is at x2 then

GALILEAN VELOCITY
TRANSFORMATION
EQNS.

NEWTONIAN RELATIVITY

There exists an absolute space, in which Newton's

laws are true

An inertial frame is a reference frame in relative

uniform motion to absolute space

All inertial frames share a universal time

All inertial reference frames are equivalent

NEWTONIAN RELATIVITY
There are infinitely many inertial frames
Each frame is of infinite size
Any two frames are in relative uniform motion.
Inertial frames move in all possible relative
uniform motion