Question

Relative velocity with respect to reference point

Answer 1

The velocity ofa material body is notan intrinsic property of the body; it depends on a free choice of reference system. Relative velocity is thus reference-dependent, it is not an absolute concept. We stress that even zero-velocity must berelative. Every reference system possesses its own zero-velocity relativeonly to that particular reference system. Does the theory of relativity formulated in terms of relativevelocities, with many zero-velocities, imply the Lorentz isometry group? We discuss themany relative spaces of Galileo and Poincare, as quotient spaces.