Re: "How Does Light 'Know' How Fast to Travel?"
- From: kenseto <kenseto@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:36:09 -0700
On Sep 1, 9:20 am, "Olc" <o...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
"How Does Light 'Know' How Fast to Travel?"
One of the basic beliefs of modern physics is that the velocity of
light is the same wherever and whenever it is measured. It is, in the
language of physics, invariant. To illustrate this understanding, let us
consider an example in which a rocket ship passes Mars on its way towards
Earth. On the rocket ship and on Mars are two radio transmitters arranged so
that, at the instant the ship passes Mars and transmitters are at the same
distance from Earth, both transmitters send a signal towards Earth. Along
the route, test stations observe the passage of the signals and report that
the signals pass each station simultaneously, exactly in accordance with the
requirements of Special Relativity. (Radio signals differ from light signals
only in their frequency. Relativistically, their behavior is identical..)
This observation presents no problem if the radio signals is are waves
propagating through a medium (e.g.- the Aether) as sound does though air.
The velocity of a wave propagating through a medium is the velocity of
propagation of that wave though the medium. The velocity of propagation of
the sound of a gunshot is independent of the velocity of the gun while the
velocity of the bullet is not. The observation presents a difficulty,
however, if we regard the photons which makeup the radio wave as particles
which are emitted from the source and travel ballistically to the target.
Such would seem to be the concept of the propagation of light when one
considers the apparent banishment of the Aether following the acceptance of
Special Relativity. If there is no medium, then the observably same velocity
of the two radio waves
could only occur if the transmitter on the rocket ship had measured its
velocity with respect to the transmitter on Mars and adjusted the velocity
of its transmitted signal so as to cause the two signals to travel together.
The side by side propagation of the radio signals presents no problem
if one accepts that they are a vibrational disturbance traveling through a
medium (e.g. - the Aether), but if there is no medium it would seem to
require that some sort of "magic" be involved.
Even though SR claims that the ether is not required but every SR
observer claims that he is in a state of rest ( a preferred frame).
This is the reason why he claims that all the clocks in the universe
moving wrt him are running slow and all the rods moving wrt him are
contracted.
LET makes a similar claim. Every LET observer assumes that he is at
rest in the ether frame. Therefore all the clocks in the universe are
running slow compared to a LET observer's clock. That's why SR and LET
have identical math.
Ken Seto
.
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