Galilean covariance of Newton's second law

ID: galilean-covariance-of-newton-s-second-law

For a Galilean transformation , , with constant rotation and boost , velocity transforms as and acceleration as . With invariant inertial mass, Newton's second law retains its form only if the actual interaction laws and their physical background data transform to give . Acceleration invariance alone does not prove covariance of an arbitrary force law. For example, resistance depends on velocity relative to a medium, whose velocity must transform too.

New to topics? Read the docs here!