Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/iii/paper-301/4/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 301 4 ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
A Lorentz transformation preserves the quadratic form of the Minkowski metric for every four-vector. Substituting givesThe coefficient difference is a symmetric matrix, and a symmetric quadratic form that vanishes on every vector is zero: evaluating it on basis vectors and their sums recovers each coefficient. ConsequentlyThis is the defining metric-preservation relation of the Lorentz group.
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