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Re: deriving relativity (was: affirming the consequent)

On 04/09/2003 11:46 AM, RAUBER, JOEL wrote:

Does anyone have a reference or arguement for relaxing the linear
transformation assumption??

One can substitute the much-more-relaxed
assumption that it is "linear to first order"
i.e. the transformation is linear when the
boost is very slight.

You can then build bigger boosts by combining
a multitude of smaller boosts. See:

http://www.monmouth.com/~jsd/physics/rapidity.htm

Especially:

http://www.monmouth.com/~jsd/physics/rapidity.htm#eq-tiny-boost

===========================

I have always been fascinated by the statement
"to first order, everything is linear".

It sounds like a truism, but actually it isn't.
There exist important physics-based counterexamples.
Can you come up with one?