THE GEOMETRY OF

SPECIAL RELATIVITY

Tevian Dray
Oregon State University
I:
II:
III:
IV:

Circle Geometry
Hyperbola Geometry
Special Relativity
What Next?

CIRCLE GEOMETRY

. (cos , sin )
5

r = arclength

cos =

4
3
= tan =
5
4

WHICH GEOMETRY?
Euclidean
ds2 = dx2 + dy 2
A = ( sin , cos )

y
A

B = (cos , sin )
B

tan =

Trigonometry!

3
4

MEASUREMENTS
Width:
1

1
cos

1
cos

Apparent width > 1

Slope:

y
y

m 6= m1 + m2

Return

HYPERBOLA GEOMETRY

. (cosh , sinh )
1

x2 y 2 = 1

r = arclength
ds2 = |dx2 dy 2|

cosh =
e +e
2

e e
sinh =
2

HYPERBOLIC TRIANGLE TRIG

d sinh

d cosh

4
3
5

tanh = 3/5

tanh = 4/5

RIGHT TRIANGLES
y

y
A

x
x

right angles are not angles!

WHICH GEOMETRY?
signature
(+ + ... +) Euclidean
( + ... +) Minkowskian
ct

ds2 = c2 dt2 + dx2

ct
A

B = (cosh , sinh )
x

4
3

tanh =

Special Relativity!

3
5

SPECIAL RELATIVITY
ct

ct
A

x
x

v
= tanh
c
u
v
tanh + tanh
c + c
tanh( + ) =
=
1 + tanh tanh 1 + uv
c2

Einstein addition formula!

Compare

LENGTH CONTRACTION
ct

ct

ct

= cosh

ct

=
cosh

Compare

TIME DILATION
ct

ct

x
x

COSMIC RAYS
(Taylor & Wheeler, 1st edition, Ex. 42, p. 89.)
Consider -mesons produced by the collision of cosmic rays with gas nuclei in
the atmosphere 60 kilometers above the surface of the earth, which then move
vertically downward at nearly the speed of light. The half-life before -mesons
decay into other particles is 1.5 microseconds (1.5 106 s).
Assuming it doesnt decay, how long would it take a -meson to reach the
surface of the earth?
60 km
= 200 s
m
8
3 10 s
Assuming there were no time dilation, about what fraction of the mesons
reaches the earth?
400
200 s
=
half-lives
3
3
2 s per half-life
In actual fact, roughly 18 of the mesons would reach the earth! How fast are
they going?

COSMIC RAYS
400
3

half-lives 400
=
3 half-lives
9

400

v
= tanh =
c

4002 92
.99974684
400

COSMIC RAYS
(60 km)(1000 m )
400
km
=
9
(4.5 106 s)(3 108 m
s)
400

v
400
.99974697
= tanh =
2
2
c
400 + 9

TWIN PARADOX
One twin travels 24 light-years to star X at speed 24
25 c; her twin brother stays
home. When the traveling twin gets to star X, she immediately turns around,
and returns at the same speed. How long does each twin think the trip took?
24

25

7
24

25
cosh =
7

25

q=

7
49
=
cosh 25

7
49/25

Straight path takes longest!

SUMMARY
Lorentz transformations are hyperbolic rotations
Beautifully treated in Taylor & Wheeler, 1st ed
Removed from Taylor & Wheeler, 2nd edition
Not currently covered in existing texts

http://www.math.oregonstate.edu/~tevian/geometry

WHICH GEOMETRY?
signature
flat
curved
(+ + ... +) Euclidean Riemannian
( + ... +) Minkowskian

ds2 = r2(d2 + sin2 d2)

Tidal forces!

WHICH GEOMETRY?
signature
flat
curved
(+ + ... +) Euclidean Riemannian
( + ... +) Minkowskian Lorentzian

ds2 = dt2 + a(t) dx2

Cosmology!
(c = 1)

dr
2

dt
+
ds2 = 1 2m
r
2m
1 r

+r

General Relativity!

d + sin d

THE GEOMETRY OF
SPECIAL RELATIVITY

Tevian Dray
Oregon State University
http://www.math.oregonstate.edu/~tevian/geometry

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