A Logical Analysis of Albert Einstein\'s Mirror-Light-Clock Gedankin by Robt Curtis Youngs

Quote James:

"Obviously the speed of light is determined by local conditions as is predicted/confirmed by Maxwell's equation. Maxwell's v=(1/(mu*epsilon)^1/2) is incompatible with the relativistic conclusion that the speed of light is constant while time varies. For stable conditions, both mu and epsilon, magnetic permeability and electric permittivity, change with position and not with time. The speed of light changes with mu and epsilon. Therefore, the speed of light changes with position. The return of the cause of the speed of light to correlate with position re-introduces the 'stationary point' in the form of the local medium."

Curt's Comment:>>>>>>

The far field speed of light is isotropic as measured from the source, in the "at rest with the source" reference frame. A pulse of light expanding from a strobe is a spherically expanding shell, centered upon the source. The pattern from a dipole is a cardioid; from many dipoles randomly oriented and located close together, as in a strobe; the pattern is an expanding spheroid. There is evidence that the near field speed of light is much higher than the impedance matched far field speed that we measure. As I think you suggest, more research needs to be done, if it hasn't already, upon whether the permittivity and permeability are actual properties of the aether, and not of matter. (My current opinion is that both light and matter are made of waves in the aether.)

I am not sure what "time" you are referencing, unless it is the contrived "relativistic time" slowed by Einstein's imaginary diagonal going "photon."

Quote James:

"My work suggests that: If I am an isolated observer in a massless gravity free environment, and, I hypothetically see a light signal sent from a second observer who is closing in on my position there will be no relativity type effects for either of us. If I am an observer on the surface of the Earth and an object whizzes by me horizontally to the Earth, I will observe relativity type effects for that object. I will not undergo any such effects myself."

Curt's Comment:>>>>>

The closing source will have a Doppler blue shifted spectra when viewed from your position. The effect upon a clock signal sent from the source is that the clock appears to be regulated fast, or that time seems to be passing faster in the approaching observer's reference frame. (it is not) The opposite (red shifting spectra, and time passing slower) will occur as the said source recedes from you. (The observer in relative motion with you will likewise see Doppler shift from any light you emit.) Of course, you will not experience anything just because you view a passing object.

Quote James:

"The relativity type effects that I will observe are that the object length physically shortens and that the local speed of light immediate to and within the object will have slowed. If there was an observer traveling with the object, that observer would measure the surrounding conditions, including myself, as expanding. There would be no such expansion. The object, the observer, and the observer's measuring rod would have shortened."

James"

Curt's comment: >>>>>>>

As I pointed out in my paraphrased recitation of Einstein's "Measure the Length of the Moving Train from the Platform Gedanken," the train measures shorter when the measurement is initiated from the front of the train, and measures longer when the measurement starts from the caboose . . .

"Curt's Comment:>>>>>>

When you write "the speed of light" are you referring to a pulse of light? Unless one catches the leading edge or trailing edge of the emitted train of light, one cannot determine where and when said portion of the light train was emitted."

I am referring to the speed of any single photon.

""The velocity of light is given by v=(d/t)" Yes, the velocity of anything is given by the formula "v=(d/t)" It is a ratio of distance to a given unit of time. Velocity times the duration of elapsed time equals the distance traveled. If one is given a distance traveled or to be traveled, and the velocity of the moving object; the elapsed time of the trip is obtained by dividing the velocity by the distance traveled. "

The point of mentioning such an obvious relationship has to do with emphasizing that Einstein forced an incorrect result by his incorrect choice of which two terms are variables. If the choice of variables is different, then the result is different. My choice is that the speed of light is variant, distance is variant, time is not variant.

James

James,

My intent was not to get pedantic with you, I was just writing while thinking to myself. Anyway, the GPS system works because they use "Universal Time." The pseudocode that is transmitted by each satellite in the GPS constellation essentially encodes the "universal time" that that particular pulse was transmitted from that particular satellite. The pulses expand into spheres, each centered upon its respective satellite. The "time stamps" of a given time are all transmitted synchronously from all satellites; no problem with relativity of simultaneity. Thus the user on the ground can locate the receiver by discovering the radius of each sphere as it intersects the other spheres at the receiver's location gaining a three dimensional location. (it is the difference in arrival times of a given time stamp from the various "birds" that determine each radius's length.)

My point being that you are obviously right. There is a Universal Time, and it is constant and consistent.

Curt,

Thank you for your positive feedback. It is quite rare for me to receive approval on any point whether from professionals or non-professionals. My opinion is that several of the points I have put forward for consideration in each of the four essay contests are very strong. This latest one concerning the proper interpretation of mass is the key one. As you can see, my essays are always rated low. It does not matter.

Removing the many guesses upon which physics theory is formed seems to me to offer a good probability for getting things right. Anyway, I like what I put forward and I keep putting fresh material out there there. It all comes from work that shows unity right from its beginnings and continues each step along the way of its extensive development. It is very empirically based. Good luck in the contest.

James

Curt,

Common sense physics! You should enjoy my essay then. But don't try to rush it, It's a bit more dense than was wise. And the intuition only emerges after removing the old hidden assumptions. I shall point out the sense of yours to others. Do please ask any questions about mine. And perhaps comment on my discussion with Petcho, who seems as 'belief bound' as any.

Your link only sent me to the Alvarez essay, with no post visible!?

Best of luck.

Peter

Dang it, the link to my new post should be:

Questioning the Foundations: Space-Time Transformations vs. Motion Transformations

I can't get every detail just right! I meant to link to this:

Questioning the Foundations: Space-Time Transformations vs. Motion Transformations

I can't figure out how to include his diagram into the comment. It is a good diagram of conventional wisdom. I tried to show that it is not just an out take of one instant in time, but actually three instants. It is similar to the slight of hand with which Einstein's STR is rife and riddled.

Congratulations, I just figured out what you are saying. Your comment at Rafael Castel's essay clicked in my mind to connect that the passage of time is revealed by the length of his light rays. What time it is in the moving reference frame has no bearing on where the moving frame detectors are placed in that frame, as each one coincides with a respective detector in the what you call the source reference frame! With this insight, I see no reason for Einstein's need to have a fourth axis for time. Do I have this right?

I have always been curious about the fantastic sounding attributes scientists, and astronomers claim are seemingly caused by relativistic motion. A friend sent me the link to your essay, and I read it several times. Then I decided to try to make my own charts following your directions. I used tracing paper for the moving reference frame. I had trouble at first making sure that I moved the paper in a straight line in relation to the original drawing, but when I finished, my charts look just like yours. In the process of doing the drawings, I began really getting it.

I have since done some reference frames moving diagonally to the original source-mirror reference frame, and one moving at c longitudinally. Very interesting results!

Thanks

If you do not understand why your rating dropped down. As I found ratings in the contest are calculated in the next way. Suppose your rating is [math]R_1 [/math] and [math]N_1 [/math] was the quantity of people which gave you ratings. Then you have [math]S_1=R_1 N_1 [/math] of points. After it anyone give you [math]dS [/math] of points so you have [math]S_2=S_1+ dS [/math] of points and [math]N_2=N_1+1 [/math] is the common quantity of the people which gave you ratings. At the same time you will have [math]S_2=R_2 N_2 [/math] of points. From here, if you want to be R2 > R1 there must be: [math]S_2/ N_2>S_1/ N_1 [/math] or [math] (S_1+ dS) / (N_1+1) >S_1/ N_1 [/math] or [math] dS >S_1/ N_1 =R_1[/math] In other words if you want to increase rating of anyone you must give him more points [math]dS [/math] then the participant`s rating [math]R_1 [/math] was at the moment you rated him. From here it is seen that in the contest are special rules for ratings. And from here there are misunderstanding of some participants what is happened with their ratings. Moreover since community ratings are hided some participants do not sure how increase ratings of others and gives them maximum 10 points. But in the case the scale from 1 to 10 of points do not work, and some essays are overestimated and some essays are drop down. In my opinion it is a bad problem with this Contest rating process.

Sergey Fedosin

Larue:

Albert said that, as a child, he tried to imagine what it would be like to ride a ray of light at the speed of light. Your new diagram, moving at c longitudinally, demonstrates the situation (after the first bounce): Initially, detectors approaching the ray experience Doppler blue shift, which is just the momentum of the detectors vs the oncoming wave fronts. However, moving with the receding light ray Doppler shifts all the momentum (energy) from the beam. Only one detector is needed to collect the pulses after the first bounce, since the detector is traveling with the pulse; Einstein would not see anything of the light wave since he would be at rest with it. On the second bounce the pulses reappear as in the initial emission to the first mirror. Can you see that from your diagram?

Dear Robt Curtis Youngs,

Very interesting to see your essay.

I wish you could read my essay "Rethink the Double Slit Experiment" at

http://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/1452

I leave you with this thought, James:

From my point of view, the inertia which any unaccelerated matter possesses turns into speed and direction relative to any other unaccelerated matter in relative motion with it. The radiation from said unaccelerated matter possesses the same speed and direction relative any detector in relative motion with the radiating matter. Contrary to the Eisensteinian Theory, the radiation is centered upon the source.

Likewise, gravity is centered upon the mass of matter possessing it. The gravity field travels with the mass while it diminishes with the square of the distance from the matter. This makes the "speed of gravity" superfluous, because the field gradient is already existing around said matter. The change in strength of the acceleration acts "instantaneously" upon a change in relative distance of another mass.

Length contraction and time dilation cannot be real effects, since observers in opposite reference frames find the same effects occurring in the other, while experiencing none in their own reference frame. His "measuring the moving train" gedanken is faulty, as I have demonstrated by beginning the measurement from the back of the caboose rather than the front of the locomotive.

Einstein's method of synchronizing clocks is faulty for clocks in relative motion, since the latency he adds to the time is an average of two distances, yielding the "constant speed of light" that he finds regardless of the velocity between clocks which are in relative motion. Furthermore the "correction to the time" is wrong since the distance between clocks has changed during the determination of latency and the sending of the corrected time signal.

"Relativity of simultaneity" concerning the order of events occurs in the "at rest with the source" reference frame among extended event locations and extended observer locations. This is the result of the finite speed of light, and different distances between events and observers. Motion is only secondary and has only to do with changing distances.