Operational concepts and the transformation laws of space-time co-ordinates in arbitrary dispersive media

The concept of operational parameters is discussed. Operational parameters are compared with extrinsic or hidden variables. It is shown that, by applying Einstein's sinchronization conventions, the transformation properties of operational space and time parameters depend on the dispersion (energy momentum) relation of the system. In particular, with nonlinear forces acting in a medium, transformation laws need not necessarily be of the Lorentz form