No label defined (Q4040567)

This is a nice elementary introduction to the mathematical foundations of the special theory of relativity. The first chapter presents the basic facts on linear structures and scalar products. Chapter 2 gives a detailed description of the pseudoeuclidean plane and of its relations with the system of complex numbers. The geometric interpretation of the special theory of relativity in the framework of the pseudoeuclidean plane is presented in chapter 3; the discussion of the Lorentz transformations leads to the derivation (through geometric relations between world lines) of the two axioms of relativity and the various relativistic effects (time dilation, length contraction, mass increase, the equivalence between mass and energy, simultaneity, etc). The last two chapters deal with the geometric description of the three-dimensional pseudoeuclidean space (which appears to provide a framework sufficient for the explanation of the Compton effect) and the four-dimensional pseudoeuclidean (Minkowski) space, respectively. A supplement to the main text discusses the metric properties of isotropic planes. The exposition is highly informal, a quality which makes the book accessible even at high school level.