Editing Special relativity (section)

=== Two- vs one- postulate approaches ===
{{main|Derivations of the Lorentz transformations}}

In Einstein's own view, the two postulates of relativity and the invariance of the speed of light lead to a single postulate, the Lorentz transformation:
{{blockquote|The insight fundamental for the special theory of relativity is this: The assumptions relativity and light speed invariance are compatible if relations of a new type ("Lorentz transformation") are postulated for the conversion of coordinates and times of events&nbsp;... The universal principle of the special theory of relativity is contained in the postulate: The laws of physics are invariant with respect to Lorentz transformations (for the transition from one inertial system to any other arbitrarily chosen inertial system). This is a restricting principle for natural laws&nbsp;...<ref name="autogenerated1" group=p/>}}

Following Einstein's original presentation of special relativity in 1905, many different sets of postulates have been proposed in various alternative derivations,<ref>For a survey of such derivations, see Lucas and Hodgson, Spacetime and Electromagnetism, 1990</ref> but Einstein stuck to his approach throughout work.<ref group=p>Einstein, On the Relativity Principle and the Conclusions Drawn from It, 1907; "The Principle of Relativity and Its Consequences in Modern Physics", 1910; "The Theory of Relativity", 1911; Manuscript on the Special Theory of Relativity, 1912; Theory of Relativity, 1913; Einstein, Relativity, the Special and General Theory, 1916; The Principal Ideas of the Theory of Relativity, 1916; What Is The Theory of Relativity?, 1919; The Principle of Relativity (Princeton Lectures), 1921; Physics and Reality, 1936; The Theory of Relativity, 1949.</ref>

[[Henri Poincaré]] provided the mathematical framework for relativity theory by proving that [[Lorentz transformations]] are a subset of his [[Poincaré group]] of symmetry transformations. Einstein later derived these transformations from his axioms.

While the traditional two-postulate approach to special relativity is presented in innumerable college textbooks and popular presentations,<ref name="Miller2009">{{cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=D. J. |title=A constructive approach to the special theory of relativity |journal=American Journal of Physics |volume=78 |issue=6 |pages=633–638 |arxiv=0907.0902 |doi=10.1119/1.3298908 |year=2010 |bibcode=2010AmJPh..78..633M |s2cid=20444859 }}</ref> other treatments of special relativity base it on the single postulate of universal Lorentz covariance, or, equivalently, on the single postulate of [[Minkowski spacetime]].<ref group=p>Das, A. (1993) ''The Special Theory of Relativity, A Mathematical Exposition'', Springer, {{isbn|0-387-94042-1}}.</ref><ref group=p>Schutz, J. (1997) Independent Axioms for Minkowski Spacetime, Addison Wesley Longman Limited, {{isbn|0-582-31760-6}}.</ref> Textbooks starting with the single postulate of Minkowski spacetime include those by Taylor and Wheeler<ref name="Taylor1992"/> and by Callahan.<ref name="Callahan">{{cite book |last1=Callahan |first1=James J. |title=The Geometry of Spacetime: An Introduction to Special and General Relativity |date=2011 |publisher=Springer |location=New York |isbn=9781441931429}}</ref>