Editing Lorentz factor (section)

{{Short description|Quantity in relativistic physics}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Gamma factor|gamma function}}
[[File:RelativeFactor.png|thumb|Definition of the Lorentz factor γ|upright=1]]
The '''Lorentz factor''' or '''Lorentz term''' (also known as the '''gamma factor'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gamma Factor |url=https://webs.morningside.edu/slaven/Physics/relativity/relativity6.html |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=webs.morningside.edu}}</ref>) is a [[dimensionless quantity]] expressing how much the measurements of time, length, and other physical properties change for an object while it moves. The expression appears in several equations in [[special relativity]], and it arises in derivations of the [[Lorentz transformation]]s. The name originates from its earlier appearance in [[Lorentz ether theory|Lorentzian electrodynamics]] – named after the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] physicist [[Hendrik Lorentz]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tyson |first1=Neil deGrasse |author1-link=Neil deGrasse Tyson |last2=Liu |first2=Charles Tsun-Chu |author2-link=Charles Liu |first3=Robert |last3=Irion |title=The Special Theory of Relativity |url=http://www.nap.edu/html/oneuniverse/motion_knowledge_concept_12.html |website=One Universe |publisher=[[National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725095818/http://www.nap.edu/html/oneuniverse/motion_knowledge_concept_12.html |archive-date=2021-07-25 |access-date=2024-01-06 }}</ref>

It is generally denoted {{math|''γ''}} (the Greek lowercase letter [[gamma]]). Sometimes (especially in discussion of [[superluminal motion]]) the factor is written as {{math|Γ}} (Greek uppercase-gamma) rather than {{math|''γ''}}.