Editing Principle of relativity (section)

{{Short description|Physics principle stating that the laws of physics must be the same in all reference frames}}
{{Special relativity sidebar}}

In [[physics]], the '''principle of relativity''' is the requirement that the equations describing the [[physical law|laws of physics]] have the same form in all admissible [[frames of reference]].

For example, in the framework of [[special relativity]], the [[Maxwell equations]] have the same form in all [[inertial frame of reference|inertial frames of reference]]. In the framework of general relativity, the Maxwell equations or the [[Einstein field equations]] have the same form in arbitrary frames of reference.

Several principles of relativity have been successfully applied throughout [[science]], whether implicitly (as in [[Newtonian mechanics]]) or explicitly (as in [[Albert Einstein]]'s special relativity and [[general relativity]]).