Paper 4, Section I, 4C4 \mathrm{C}

Dynamics and Relativity | Part IA, 2014

What is a 4-vector? Define the inner product of two 4-vectors and give the meanings of the terms timelike, null and spacelike. How do the four components of a 4-vector change under a Lorentz transformation of speed vv ? [Without loss of generality, you may take the velocity of the transformation to be along the positive xx-axis.]

Show that a 4-vector that is timelike in one frame of reference is also timelike in a second frame of reference related by a Lorentz transformation. [Again, you may without loss of generality take the velocity of the transformation to be along the positive xx-axis.]

Show that any null 4-vector may be written in the form a(1,n^)a(1, \hat{\mathbf{n}}) where aa is real and n^\hat{\mathbf{n}} is a unit 3-vector. Given any two null 4-vectors that are future-pointing, that is, which have positive time-components, show that their sum is either null or timelike.

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