Time, Inertia and the Relativity Principle

Arthur, Richard T. W. (2007) Time, Inertia and the Relativity Principle. In [2007] Symposium on Time and Relativity (Minneapolis, MN, 25-27 October, 2007).

Abstract

In this paper I try to sort out a tangle of issues regarding time, inertia, proper time and the so-called “clock hypothesis” raised by Harvey Brown's discussion of them in his recent book, Physical Relativity. I attempt to clarify the connection between time and inertia, as well as the deficiencies in Newton's “derivation” of Corollary 5, by giving a group theoretic treatment original with J.-P. Provost. This shows how both the Galilei and Lorentz transformations may be derived from the relativity principle on the basis of certain elementary assumptions regarding time. I then reflect on the implications of this derivation for understanding proper time and the clock hypothesis.