Re: A way to measure OWLS...and verify the constancy of the one way speed of light

bz wrote: 
Tom Roberts <tjroberts@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in news:GGBFe.1312$gt5.1099
@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com:
It is a two-way measurement because the light signal follows a round-trip path.

But not throught the same medium. The velocity factor of the fiber is known and is slower than the velocity of light in a vacuum.

Sure. Does not change the fact that this is a ROUND TRIP measurement. <shrug>


What about if he eliminates the fiber all together and moves his laser diode to the end of a 1000 foot length of coax [of known velocity factor]?
Now, his 'light' is only moving one direction.

Then you have the very same unknowns about the coax. EM signals are EM signals, be they light or electrical pulses in coax. <shrug>

Face it: the signal travels over a round trip path. There's no possible way to turn that into a one way measurement. None. To make a one way measurement the signal must travel only one way. <shrug>


It would appear that ANY measurement of the speed of light, other than simple 'time of flight' MUST suffer similar defect.

Yes, of course. And "simple time of flight" measurements have the problem of how to synchronize the two clocks that are necessary for such a measurement. Nature, of course, does not need clocks or their synchronization, so the result must be independent of how you synchronize those clocks -- the different theories I discuss differ only in how one synchronizes clocks; and they are experimentally indistinguishable from one another (including SR).


Of course, if we are not trying to verify that space is isotropic, then we can stop splitting hares and let the race begin.

Many experiments measuring the anisotropy in the round-trip propagation of light have been performed. Several have millions (billions? trillions?) of times more accuracy than this one. All gave null results to within their resolution. See the FAQ for references.


Tom Roberts	tjroberts@xxxxxxxxxx
.

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