Axiomatic foundations of the kinematics common to classical physics and special relativity (Q793516)

Starting from four primitive notions namely event point, particle, relation of being in the past and relation of being an event point occupied by a particle and certain suitable postulates, the authors present a system of purely kinematic axioms complying with both classical mechanics and special relativity. The main theorem proves that either the classical or the relativistic case holds. The work which makes a number of related interesting points is within the framework of modal logic as described in the first author's book, A general interpreted modal calculus (1972; Zbl 0255.02015).