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Definition of the Lorentz factor γ. The Lorentz factor or Lorentz term (also known as the gamma factor [1]) is a dimensionless quantity expressing how much the measurements of time, length, and other physical properties change for an object while it moves. The expression appears in several equations in special relativity, and it arises in ...
The following notations are used very often in special relativity: Lorentz factor = where = and v is the relative velocity between two inertial frames.. For two frames at rest, γ = 1, and increases with relative velocity between the two inertial frames.
Notations commonly used are or or where is the Lorentz factor, = / and is the speed of light. The energy of an ultrarelativistic particle is almost completely due to its kinetic energy E k = ( γ − 1 ) m c 2 {\displaystyle E_{k}=(\gamma -1)mc^{2}} .
At any time after t = t′ = 0, xx′ is not zero, so dividing both sides of the equation by xx′ results in =, which is called the "Lorentz factor". When the transformation equations are required to satisfy the light signal equations in the form x = ct and x ′ = ct ′, by substituting the x and x'-values, the same technique produces the ...
is called the Lorentz factor and c is the speed of light in free space. Lorentz factor (γ) is the same in both systems. The inverse transformations are the same except for the substitution v → −v. An equivalent, alternative expression is: [3]
[19] [20] Examples of quotients of dimension one include calculating slopes or some unit conversion factors. Another set of examples is mass fractions or mole fractions, often written using parts-per notation such as ppm (= 10 −6), ppb (= 10 −9), and ppt (= 10 −12), or perhaps confusingly as ratios of two identical units (kg/kg or mol/mol).
Thus in calculating the relative proper speed, Lorentz factors multiply when coordinate speeds add. Hence each of two electrons (A and C) in a head-on collision at 45 GeV in the lab frame (B) would see the other coming toward them at v AC ~ c and w AC = 88,000 2 (1 + 1) ~ 1.55×10 10 lightseconds per traveler second.
[8] [9] For a map-distance of Δx AB, the first equation above predicts a midpoint Lorentz factor (up from its unit rest value) of γ mid = 1 + α(Δx AB /2)/c 2. Hence the round-trip time on traveler clocks will be Δτ = 4(c/α) cosh −1 (γ mid), during which the time elapsed on map clocks will be Δt = 4(c/α) sinh[cosh −1 (γ mid)].