Identifications of paths and curves under the plane similarity transformations and their applications to mechanics (Q2309662)

Let \(E_2\) be the two-dimensional Euclidean space and let \(G\) be a group of transformations of \(E_2\). Two paths \(\xi\), \(\eta\) in \(E_2\) are called \(G\)-similar if there exists \(F \in G\) such that \(\eta = F \circ \xi\). We will also say that a function of paths, \(\psi\), is \(G\)-invariant, if it is fixed under the action of \(G\). In this paper, the authors study global \(G\)-similarity conditions and \(G\)-invariants of plane paths in \(E_2\) with respect to the similarity group \(G=\mathrm{Sim}(E_2)\) and the orientation-preserving similarity group \(G=\mathrm{Sim}^+(E_2)\). They find a general form of a path concerning its global \(G\)-invariants and obtain, for given two plane paths with the common differential \(G\)-invariants, general forms of all transformations carrying one path to the other. Analogous results for non-degenerate curves are achieved by introducing the type of curve as global invariant. Furthermore, the authors also obtain similar theorems extending their study to the three-dimensional space-time \(E_2 \times \mathbb{R}\) by using the groups \(G=\mathrm{Sim}(\mathrm{Gal})\) and \(G=\mathrm{Sim}^+(\mathrm{Gal})\) generated by the groups \(\mathrm{Sim}(E_2)\) and \(\mathrm{Sim}^+(E_2)\), respectively, and the Galilean transformation of the space-time; and to the four-dimensional space-time-mass \(E_2 \times \mathbb{R} \times \mathbb{R}^+\) by using the groups \(G=\mathrm{Sim}(\mathrm{Gal},m,2)\) and \(G=\mathrm{Sim}^+(\mathrm{Gal},m,2)\) generated by the groups \(\mathrm{Sim}(E_2)\) or \(\mathrm{Sim}^+(E_2)\), respectively, the Galilean transformation of the space-time and the transformation defined as the product of a mass \(m\) by a positive real number. Finally, applications to Newtonian mechanics are also given.