6533b7d0fe1ef96bd125af74

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Hyperbolic nature of uniformly rotating systems and their relation to gravity

subject

description

Special relativity corresponds to hyperbolic geometry at constant velocity while the so-called general relativity corresponds to hyperbolic geometry of uniformly accelerated systems. Generalized expressions for angular momentum, centrifugal and Coriolis forces are found in hyperbolic space, which reduce to the usual expressions of Euclidean space when the absolute constant tends to infinity. Gravity enters only in the specification of the absolute constant. A uniformly rotating disc corresponds exactly to hyperbolic geometry with a constant negative Gaussian curvature. The angle defect is related to Lorentz contraction of objects normal to the radial direction. Lobachevsky's angle of parallelism accounts for the apparent relativistic distortion of moving objects and would provide a testing ground to measure a positive defect by replacing large distances by high speeds that are comparable with that of light.