Laboratory system

The laboratory system is a physical reference system in which the observer (in his laboratory ) rests. In a sense, it is the most fundamental of all reference systems and very easily accessible intuitively. If a process can be better described in another reference system, a coordinate transformation mediates its representation in the laboratory system.

Laboratory systems play a very important role in describing physical processes. Especially linear or other simple movements can usually be treated very well there. In mechanics one can describe practically all movements of a single body in a laboratory system satisfactorily. In the case of problems with several bodies, on the other hand, the center of gravity system is often the best choice [see also kinematics (particle collision) ].

However, laboratory systems are not inertial systems if one assumes that the observer is on earth . Due to the rotation of the earth around the sun, the coordinate axes of the laboratory system are also in an accelerated movement. So there are pseudo forces , typically the centrifugal force and the Coriolis force . When considering movements on a large scale, it can make sense to carry out a transformation into another reference system.