A critical examination of relativity theories

2013

Relativityworkshop.com, 2018

This scientic article develops the theory of relativity regardless of the principles "constancy of light speed", "homogeneity and isotropy of space", and "timing of clocks" in a minkowskian space-time on the basis of electromagnetic fields and reference frames features. In this article we do not think into the invariance of Maxwell equations. It is proved that in this context, orthogonal transformation preserves the skew-adjoint property of electromagnetic field. Thereby it is derived the Lorentz transformations and (in part II) the Lorentz boost. Some possible appealing generalizations arise from the hints that appear in the analysis of this work. * c General Register of Intellectual Property ; Dossier 09/RTPI-03090.4/2018 Madrid(Spain) April 20th 2018 ; M-002741/2018 † Article on line published in the website relativityworkshop.com ‡ The theory of relativity is rediscovered from new standpoints and principles.

2011

In a previous paper published in this journal, we described a new relativistic wave equation that accounts for the propagation of light from a source to an observer in two different inertial frames. This equation, which is based on the primacy of the Doppler effect, can account for the relativity of simultaneity and the observation that charged particles cannot exceed the speed of light. In contrast to the Special Theory of Relativity, it does so without the necessity of introducing the relativity of space and time. Here we show that the new relativistic wave equation based on the primacy of the Doppler effect is quantitatively more accurate than the standard theory based on the Fresnel drag coefficient or the relativity of space and time in accounting for the results of Fizeau's experiment on the optics of moving media-the very experiment that Einstein considered to be "a crucial test in favour of the theory of relativity." The new relativistic wave equation quantitatively describes other observations involving the optics of moving bodies, including stellar aberration and the null results of the Michelson-Morley experiment. In this paper, we propose an experiment to test the influence of the refractive index on the interference fringe shift generated by moving media. The Special Theory of Relativity, which is based on the relativity of space and time, and the new relativistic wave equation, which is based on the primacy of the Doppler effect, make different predictions concerning the influence of the refractive index on the optics of moving media.

Special Relativity Theory (SRT) has two postulates, one stating that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, and the other stating that the speed of light is the constant 186,000 miles per second, regardless of any reference frames. As a result of these postulates, SRT renders predictions such as: 1) No object can travel faster than 186,000 miles per second (the speed of light itself); 2) On approaching the speed of light, a moving object contracts in length in the direction of motion, while 3) a clock traveling with the object slows down; 4) The mass of an object multiplied by the square of the speed of light gives energy ( E mc2 ); i.e., mass could be converted to energy and vice versa; 5) Observers do not agree on the simultaneity of events - two events that are simultaneous for one observer might not be simultaneous for another. There are evident inconsistencies among these predictions. There is also a philosophical problem relating to the nature of reality. Could there be more than one reality in Nature; that is, can reality be subjective, and only a matter of interpretation? This paper explores the evident inconsistencies and the philosophical problem by developing arguments and providing numerical examples.

Draft of a reflection on Einstein's special theory of relativity, by a nonspecialist. Excerpted from a longer essay on modern physics.

Concepts from the special theory of relativity are widely held, including time dilation theory, perceived to have experimental confirmation, and believed to have no disproof from well controlled prospective experiments. Demonstrated here is that although relativity for light is special, in being an entity always traveling at fixed speed in the propagation direction from its source coordinate, the notion that time "dilates" for objects in motion was an unfortunate extrapolation: (1) An element is derived, missing from the original analysis, which demonstrates that for bodies in motion, the time required to be illuminated differs compared with that in the absence of motion, but absolute time itself does not "dilate." The times required for a moving rod and for a stationary rod are identically calculated by both an observer in motion and one stationary. (2) Experiments with laser light sources, observed while the earth revolves and orbits and produces variable lateral source velocity, demonstrated that light pulses shift laterally along with the source and target while propagating at speed c to intercept the target. Pulses have a lateral velocity imparted by the orbiting earth, a necessary finding to understand special relativity. Examples are provided that clarify thought experiments commonly presented in Physics texts, and (3) intrinsic properties of light photons, such as self propagation, intrinsic speed, and relative velocity, are discussed. Les concepts issus de la théorie de la relativité restreinte, et notamment la théorie de la dilatation du temps, sont largement acceptés et sont considérés comme ayant été confirmés expérimentalement sans possibilité d'être invalidés par des expériences contrôlées. Nous démontrons ici que malgré le caractère spécial de la relativité pour la lumière, s'agissant d'une entité qui voyage toujours à une vitesse constante dans la direction de propagation à partir de sa coordonnée source, la notion que le temps se 'dilate' pour des objets en mouvement était une extrapolation malheureuse: 1) On déduit un élément, manquant dans l'analyse initiale, qui démontre que pour les corps en mouvement, la durée d'illumination nécessaire change par rapport à l'absence de mouvement mais que le temps absolu lui-même ne se 'dilate' pas. Les durées nécessaires pour une tige en mouvement et une tige stationnaire sont calculées avec un observateur en mouvement et un observateur stationnaire. 2) Des expériences avec des sources de lumière laser, observées pendant que la Terre tourne sur elle-même et autour du soleil en créant ainsi une source de vitesse latérale variable, ont démontré que les impulsions lumineuses étaient latéralement décalées comme la source et la cible tout en voyageant à la vitesse c pour intercepter la cible. Les impulsions ont une vitesse latérale communiquée par la révolution de la Terre, un résultat nécessaire pour comprendre la relativité restreinte. Des exemples sont fournis afin de clarifier des expériences de pensée couramment présentées dans des ouvrages de physique. 3) Enfin, les propriétés intrinsèques des photons, telles que l'auto-propagation, la vitesse intrinsèque et la vitesse relative, sont discutées.

Classical Mechanics, Second Edition, 2013

Special Relativity is taught to physics sophomores at Johns Hopkins University in a series of eight lectures. Lecture 1 covers the principle of relativity and the derivation of the Lorentz transform. Lecture 2 covers length contraction and time dilation. Lecture 3 covers Minkowski diagrams, simultaneous events and causally connected events, as well as velocity transforms. Lecture 4 covers energy and momentum of particles and introduces 4-vectors. Lecture 5 covers energy and momentum of photons and collision problems. Lecture 6 covers Doppler effect and aberration. Lecture 7 covers relativistic dynamics. Optional Lecture 8 covers field transforms. The main purpose of these notes is to introduce 4-vectors and the matrix notation and to demonstrate their use in solving standard problems in Special Relativity. The prerequisites for the class are calculus-based Classical Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, and Linear Algebra is highly recommended.

2019

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

2019

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

Results in Physics, 2016

Using the general formula for the Doppler effect at any arbitrary angle, the three famous experiments for special theory of relativity will be examined. Explanation of the experiments of Michelson, Kennedy-Thorndike and Ives-Stilwell will be given in a precise and elegant way without postulates, arbitrary assumptions or approximations.