Four-vector

In the theory of relativity, a four-vector or 4-vector is a vector in Minkowski space, a four-dimensional real vector space. It differs from a Euclidean vector in how its magnitude is determined. The transformations that preserve this magnitude are the Lorentz transformations, which include spatial rotations, boosts (a change by a constant velocity to another inertial reference frame), and temporal and spatial inversions. Regarded as a homogeneous space, the transformation group of Minkowski space is the Poincaré group, which adds to the Lorentz group the group of translations. The Lorentz group may be represented by 4×4 matrices.The article considers four-vectors in the context of special relativity. Although the concept of four-vectors also extends to general relativity, some of the results stated in this article require modification in general relativity.