Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 301 4 iv Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For the active Lorentz transformation of a vector field, coordinates are held fixed and . Its field strength transforms as a two-index Lorentz tensor. The index contractions in the Maxwell Lagrangian are invariant by , so the density transforms as a Lorentz scalar:For , its inverse is . Expanding the coordinate argument therefore givesSet . Part (iii) implies . The product rule then converts the variation into a total derivative:Its integral changes the action only by a boundary term, which is the condition needed for Noether's theorem.