ABSTRACT
In this book, we will develop a theory which has as its very foundation the principles of the theory of special relativity. The mathematical formalism of special relativity is embodied in the Lorentz transformation. A theory describing physical reality must be invariant under a Lorentz transformation. In future chapters, we will require Lorentz covariance at each step of the development. Historically it was only after a fully Lorentz covariant realization of quantum electrodynamics was formulated in the late 1940s, that physical effects could be untangled from the meaningless divergencies, allowing the development of the theory to progress further. We begin by summarizing a few properties of the Lorentz transformation.
