History of Topics in Special Relativity/Lorentz transformation (squeeze)
{{../Lorentz transformation (header)}}
Lorentz transformation via squeeze mappings

As already indicated in [[../Lorentz transformation (hyperbolic)#math_3c|E:(3c)]] in exponential form or [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#math_6f|E:(6f)]] in terms of Cayley–Klein parameter, Lorentz boosts in terms of hyperbolic rotations can be expressed as w:squeeze mappings. Using w:asymptotic coordinates of a hyperbola (u,v), in relativity also known as w:light-cone coordinates, they have the general form (some authors alternatively add a factor of 2 or ):[1]
with arbitrary k. This geometrically corresponds to the transformation of one parallelogram to other ones of same area, whose sides touch a hyperbola and both asymptotes. While equation system (1) corresponds to proper Lorentz boosts, equation system (2) produces improper ones. For instance, solving (1) for gives:
The geometrical foundation of squeeze mapping (Template:EquationNote) was known for a long time since Apollonius (BC) and was used to generate hyperbolas by Speidell (1688) and Whiston (1710). Equation (Template:EquationNote-1) was implicitly used by Mercator (1668) and explicitly by Laisant (1874) and Günther (1880/81) in relation to elliptic trigonometry, or by Lie (1879-81), Bianchi (1886, 1894), Darboux (1891/94), Eisenhart (1905) as Lie transform[1] of w:pseudospherical surfaces in terms of the w:Sine-Gordon equation, or by Lipschitz (1885/86) in transformation theory. Equation (Template:EquationNote-2) was given by Reynaud (1819).
From that, different forms of Lorentz transformation were derived: (Template:EquationNote) by Lipschitz (1885/86), Bianchi (1886, 1894), Eisenhart (1905), trigonometric Lorentz boost [[../Lorentz transformation (trigonometric)#math_8a|E:(8a)]] by Bianchi (1886, 1894) and Darboux (1891/94), and trigonometric Lorentz boost [[../Lorentz transformation (trigonometric)#math_8b|E:(8b)]] by Eisenhart (1905). Lorentz boost (Template:EquationNote) was rediscovered in the framework of special relativity by w:Hermann Bondi (1964)[2] in terms of w:Bondi k-calculus, by which k can be physically interpreted as Doppler factor. Since (Template:EquationNote) is equivalent to [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#math_6f|E:(6f)]] in terms of Cayley–Klein parameter by setting , it can be interpreted as the 1+1 dimensional special case of Lorentz Transformation [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#math_6e|E:(6e)]] stated by [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#Gauss3|Gauss around 1800]] (posthumously published 1863), [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#Selling|E:Selling (1873)]], [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#Bianchi2|E:Bianchi (1888)]], [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#Fricke|E:Fricke (1891)]] and [[../Lorentz transformation (Möbius)#Woods|E:Woods (1895)]].
Rewriting (Template:EquationNote) in terms of w:homogeneous coordinates signifies squeeze mappings of the unit hyperbola in terms of a w:projective conic:
Such transformations were given by Klein (1871) to express motions in non-Euclidean space.
Furthermore, variables u, v in (Template:EquationNote) can be rearranged to produce another form of squeeze mapping, resulting in Lorentz transformation [[../Lorentz transformation (Cayley-Hermite)#math_5b|E:(5b)]] in terms of Cayley-Hermite parameter:
These Lorentz transformations were given (up to a sign change) by Laguerre (1882), Darboux (1887), Smith (1900) in relation to Laguerre geometry.
On the basis of factors k or a, all previous Lorentz boosts [[../Lorentz transformation (hyperbolic)#math_3b|E:(3b)]], [[../Lorentz transformation (velocity)#math_4a|E:(4a)]], [[../Lorentz transformation (trigonometric)#math_8a|E:(8a)]], [[../Lorentz transformation (trigonometric)#math_8b|E:(8b)]], can be expressed as squeeze mappings as well:
Squeeze mappings in terms of were used by Darboux (1891/94) and Bianchi (1894), in terms of implicitly by Mercator (1668) and explicitly by Lindemann (1891), Elliott (1903), Herglotz (1909/10), in terms of by Eisenhart (1905), in terms of by Born (1921), w:Milne (1935) and Bondi (1964).
Historical notation
Template:Anchor Apollonius (BC) – Hyperbola mapping


w:Apollonius of Perga (c. 240–190 BC, and maybe other Greek geometers such as w:Menaechmus even earlier) defined the following proposition Nr. XII in his second book on conic sections, which was translated into Latin several times by Giovanni Battista Memmo (1537), w:Federico Commandino (1566), w:Isaac Barrow (1675), and in particular by w:Edmond Halley (1710), with the Halley translation reading as follows:[M 1]
- Let there be a hyperbola whose asymptotes are AB, BΓ, and let some point Δ be taken in that section, from which ΔΕ, ΔΓ are drawn to ΑΒ, ΒΓ; and let another point H be taken in that section, through which HΘ, HK are drawn parallel to ΔΕ, ΔΖ: I say that the rectangle EΔZ is equal to the rectangle ΘHK.
- Let ΔH be joined, and A is connected to Γ. Therefore, since the rectangle AΔΓ is equal to the rectangle AHΓ, it follows that AH is to AΔ as ΔΓ is to ΓΗ. But AH is to ΑΔ as ΗΘ is to ΕΔ, and ΔΓ is to ΓΗ as ΔZ is to ΗΚ; wherefore as ΘΗ is to ΔΕ, so ΔZ is to ΗK: therefore the rectangle EΔZ is equal to the rectangle ΘHK.
A modernized translation was given by w:Thomas Heath as follows:[M 2]
- If Q, q be any two points on a hyperbola, and parallel straight lines QH, qh be drawn to meet one asymptote at any angle, and QK, qk (also parallel to one another) meet the other asymptote at any angle, then HQ·QK = hq·qk. Let Qq meet the asymptotes in R,r. We have RQ.Qr=Rq.qr; therefore RQ:Rq=qr:Qr. But RQ:Rq=HQ:hq, and qr:Qr=qk:QK; therefore HQ:hq=qk:QK, or HQ.QK=hq.qk.
In the next proposition XIII, Apollonius showed that if a line is drawn parallel to the asymptotes, within the space between asymptotes and hyperbola, it must meet the hyperbola exactly once. In his demonstration, Apollonius used the previous proposition XII when comparing the area of several parallelograms whose sides are drawn parallel to the asymptotes.[M 3][M 4]
Template:Anchor Mercator (1668) – hyperbolic relations

While deriving the w:Mercator series, w:Nicholas Mercator (1668) demonstrated Apollonius' proposition on a rectangular hyperbola algebraically as follows:[M 5]
Template:Anchor Speidell (1688), Whiston (1710) – Hyperbola generation

The case of squeezing a given square or parallelogram as a means to generate hyperbolas was discussed by w:Euclid Speidell (1688):[M 6]
- [..] from a Square and an infinite company of Oblongs on a Superficies, each Equal to that Square, how a Curve is begotten which shall have the same properties and affections of an Hyperbola inscribed within a Right Angled Cone
- [..] There is a Square ABCD, whose Side or Root is 10, let DB be prolonged in infinitum, and continually divided equally by the Root, or DB, and those Equal Divisions numbered by 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, &c. in infinitum: Upon these Numbers let Perpendiculars be erected, which call Ordinates, and each of those Perpendiculars of that length, that Perpendiculars let fall from the aforesaid Perpendiculars to the Side or Base CD (which call Complement Ordinates) the Oblongs made of the Ordinate Perpendiculars, and Complement Ordinate Perpendiculars may be ever Equal to the Square AD, which is easily done thus, for it is &c. produces the Length of the Ordinate Perpendiculars
- [..] all the Oblongs made of the Ordinates, and Complement Ordinates are each of them equal to the Square AD, which is here 100
- [..] the like Demonstration serves for all the Oblongs or Parallelograms standing upon the Base CD, by the Tips or Angular Points of those Parallelograms, or from the Ends of all the Ordinates standing upon 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, in infinitum, draw the Curve Line from A towards E, so shall you describe the Curve AEFGS [..].
In similar terms, w:William Whiston (1710/16) wrote:[M 7]
- But it is to be acknowledg'd, that many Properties of an Hyperbola are better known from another manner of generating the Figure; which Way is this: Let LL and MM be infinite Right Lines intersecting each other in any Angle whatever in the Point C: From any Point whatever, as D or e, let Dc, Dd, be drawn parallel to the first Lines, or (ec, ed), which with the Lines first drawn make the Parallelograms as DcCd, or ecCd; Now conceive two sides of the Parallelogram as Dc, Dd, or ec, ed, to be so mov'd this way and that way, that they always keep the same Parallelism, and that at the same time the Area's always remain equal: That is to say, that Dc and ec remain always Parallel to MM, and Dd or ed always Parallel to LL; and that the Area of every Parallelogram be equal to every other, one Side being increas'd in the same Proportion wherein the other is diminish'd. By this means the Point D or e will describe a Curve-Line within the Angle comprehended by the first Lines;
Template:Anchor Reynaud (1819) – Hyperbola mapping
w:Antoine André Louis Reynaud algebraically expressed squeeze mappings by writing:[M 8]
- "The system of equations determines all points of the curve , because and being given numbers, each arbitrary value of gives a point of this curve. The elimination of the indeterminate between equations (2) will therefore lead to the equation of the curve in question. This curve is therefore a hyperbola related to its asymptotes ."
Template:Anchor Klein (1871) – Projective conic section
Template:See also Template:See also Template:See also Template:See also
Elaborating on the w:Cayley–Klein metric, w:Felix Klein (1871) defined a w:projective conic in order to discuss motions such as rotation and translation in the non-Euclidean plane:[M 9]
Template:Anchor Laisant (1874) – Elliptic polar coordinates
w:Charles-Ange Laisant extended circular trigonometry to elliptic trigonometry. In his model, polar coordinates x, y of circular trigonometry are related to polar coordinates x', y' of elliptic trigonometry by the relation[M 10]
He noticed the geometrical implication that any elliptic polar system of coordinates obtained by this formula is located on the same equilateral hyperbola having its asymptotes as axes.
Template:Anchor Lie (1879-84) – Transforming pseudospherical surfaces
Template:See also Template:See also Template:See also
w:Sophus Lie (1879/80) derived an operation from w:Pierre Ossian Bonnet's (1867) investigations on surfaces of constant curvatures, by which pseudospherical surfaces can be transformed into each other.[M 11] Lie gave explicit formulas for this operation in two papers published in 1881: If are asymptotic coordinates of two principal tangent curves and their respective angle, and is a solution of the Sine-Gordon equation , then the following operation (now called Lie transform) is also a solution from which infinitely many new surfaces of same curvature can be derived:[M 12]
In (1880/81) he wrote these relations as follows:[M 13]
In (1883/84) he showed that the combination of Lie transform O with Bianchi transform I produces w:Bäcklund transform B of pseudospherical surfaces:[M 14]
Template:Anchor Günther (1880/81) – Elliptic polar coordinates
Following Laisant (1874), w:Siegmund Günther demonstrated the relation between circular polar coordinates and elliptic polar coordinates as[M 15]
showing that any elliptic polar system of coordinates obtained by this formula is located on the same equilateral hyperbola having its asymptotes as axes.
Template:Anchor Laguerre (1882) – Laguerre inversion
Template:See also Template:See also
A transformation (later known as "Laguerre inversion") of [[../Lorentz transformation (conformal)|E:oriented lines and spheres]] was given by w:Edmond Laguerre with R being the radius and D the distance of its center to the axis:[M 16]
Template:Anchor Darboux (1883–1891)
Template:See also Template:See also Template:See also
Transforming pseudospherical surfaces
w:Gaston Darboux (1883) followed Lie (1879/81) by transforming pseudospheres into each other as follows:[M 17]
Similar to Bianchi (1886), Darboux (1891/94) showed that the Lie transform gives rise to the following relations:[M 18]
- .
Template:Anchor Laguerre inversion
Following Laguerre (1882), Darboux (1887) formulated the Laguerre inversions in four dimensions using coordinates x,y,z,R:[M 19]
Template:Anchor Lipschitz (1885/86) - Quadratic forms
Template:See also Template:See also
w:Rudolf Lipschitz (1885/86) discussed transformations leaving invariant the sum of squares
which he rewrote as
- .
This led to the problem of finding transformations leaving invariant the pairs (where a=1...n) for which he gave the following solution:[M 20]
Template:Anchor Bianchi (1886–1894) – Transforming pseudospherical surfaces
Template:See also Template:See also
w:Luigi Bianchi (1886) followed Lie (1879/80) by writing the transformation of pseudospheres into each other, obtaining the result:[M 21]
- .
In 1894, Bianchi redefined the variables u,v as asymptotic coordinates, by which the transformation obtains the form:[M 22]
- .
Template:Anchor Lindemann (1890/91) – Weierstrass coordinates and Cayley absolute
w:Ferdinand von Lindemann employed the Cayley absolute related to surfaces of second degree and its transformation[M 23]
into which he put[M 24]
Template:Anchor Haskell (1895) – Hyperbola mapping
w:Mellen W. Haskell applied the linear transformation
in order to transform a hyperbola into itself.[M 25]
Template:Anchor Smith (1900) – Laguerre inversion
Template:See also Template:See also
w:Percey F. Smith followed Laguerre (1882) and Darboux (1887) and defined the Laguerre inversion as follows:[M 26]
Template:Anchor Elliott (1903) – Invariant theory
w:Edwin Bailey Elliott (1903) discussed a special cyclical subgroup of ternary linear transformations for which the (unit) determinant of transformation is resoluble into three ordinary algebraical factors, which he pointed out is in direct analogy to a subgroup formed by the following transformations:[M 27]
Template:Anchor Eisenhart (1905) – Transforming pseudospherical surfaces
w:Luther Pfahler Eisenhart followed Lie (1879/81), Bianchi (1886, 1894) and Darboux (1891/94) in transforming pseudospherical surfaces:[M 28]
- .
Template:Anchor Herglotz (1909/10) – Special relativity
Template:See also Template:See also
In relation to special relativity, w:Gustav Herglotz (1909/10) defined the Lorentz boost as follows:[M 29]
Template:Anchor Born (1921) – Special relativity
In the second edition of “Einstein's theory of relativity”, w:Max Born (1921) discussed the relation of the Lorentz transformation and the hyperbola:[M 30]
References
Historical mathematical sources
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|apo}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|apo2}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|bia86lez}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|bia94diff}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/relsource|bornrel2}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|dar83cou}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|dar87cou}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|dar94cou}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|eis0586lez}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|eli03}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|guen80}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|hask}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/relsource|herg10}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|klei71}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lagu82}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lais74a}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lie79a}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lie79b}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lie80}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lie83}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lind90}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|lip86}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|merc}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|reyn}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|smi00}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|spei}}
- {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/mathsource|whis}}
Secondary sources
Template:Reflist {{#section:History of Topics in Special Relativity/secsource|L10}}
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "M", but no corresponding <references group="M"/> tag was found