Abstract
This paper represents an attempt to clarify a number of long-standing issues concerning the nature and status of the special and general principles of relativity in particular and symmetry or invariance principles in general. An analysis of the active and passive interpretations of symmetry operations is offered. This analysis yields an evaluation of the old covariance-invariance issue. It also demonstrates that the passive interpretation, insofar as it is not trivial, is parasitic on the active picture. Finally, the analysis shows that grave difficulties lie in the way of any attempt to generalize the special principle of relativity in a manner like the one Einstein originally proposed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A. Einstein,Ideas and Opinions (Crown, New York, 1963), p. 270.
A. Einstein,Ann. Phys. 49, 769 (1916); English translation inThe Principle of Relativity, Perrett and Jeffrey, eds. (Dover, New York), pp. 111–164.
G. Holton, inThe Twentieth Century Sciences, Holton, ed. (Norton, New York, 1972), esp. pp. 365–366.
H. Goenner, inErnst Mach, Cohen and Seeger, eds. (D. Reidel, Dordrecht-Holland, 1970).
A. Hermann (ed.),Albert Einstein/Arnold Sommerfeld Briefwechsel (Schabe, Basel, 1968), pp. 102–103.
I. Ozsvath and E. Schücking,Ann. Phys. (U.S.) 55, 166 (1969).
E. Kretchmann,Ann. d. Phys. 53, 575 (1917).
P. Havas,Rev. Mod. Phys. 36, 938 (1964).
J. Earman and M. Friedman, The nature and status of Newton's law of inertia, forthcoming inPhil. Sci.
J. L. Anderson, inGravitation and Relativity, Chiu and Hoffmann, eds. (Benjamin, New York, 1964).
J. L. Anderson, inPerspectives in Geometry and Relativity, Hoffmann, ed. (Indiana Univ. Press, 1966).
J. L. Anderson,Principles of Relativity Physics (Academic Press, New York, 1967).
J. L. Anderson,Gen. Rel. Grav. J. 2, 161 (1971).
E. P. Wigner,Symmetries and Reflections (Indiana Univ. Press., 1967).
A. Trautmann, inPerspectives in Geometry and Relativity, Hoffmann, ed. (Indiana Univ. Press, 1966).
J. Rayski,Acta Phys. Polon. 33, 119 (1968).
A. Trautmann,Soviet Phys.—Uspekhi 9, 319 (1966).
E. P. Wigner,Nuovo Cimento 3, 517 (1956).
A. S. Wightman, inRelations de dispersion et particules élémentaires (Hermann, Paris, 1960).
E. Fabri,Nuovo Cimento 14, 1130 (1959).
J. Earman, An attempt to add some direction to “the problem of the direction of time,” forthcoming inPhil. Sci.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Earman, J. Covariance, invariance, and the equivalence of frames. Found Phys 4, 267–289 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00712691
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00712691