Re: "How Does Light 'Know' How Fast to Travel?"

"John Kennaugh" <JKNG@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:vQBd+2GM8+2GFw2P@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[snip]
Even though SR claims that the ether is not required

SR makes no such claim.

One can, however, legitimately claim that ether is not required for SR

[snip]
If one assumes there is no aether then both Lorentz and Einstein were
asking the wrong question. The question is not "why does it appear that
every observer is stationary w.r.t the aether" but "if the speed of light
is not constant w.r.t the aether as previously assumed then what is it
constant w.r.t.?" the answer to which has to be the source

No .. that doesn't "have" to be "the" answer. It could equally be constant
wrt the observer. Sr simply says it is constant wrt every inertial frame.

and the explanation of the null result of the MMX is that it is null
because there is no relative movement between source and detector. Without
aether SR requires that the speed at which light separates from the source
depends on an observation which may take place in the future.

Not at all .. because it will always separate at c wrt the source. No
future (or present or past) observation required for that.

The question may be restated as "How Does Light 'Know' it is going to be
observed?"

It doesn't need to know.

If one reinstates Lorentz's aether then it travels at c w.r.t. the
aether - it is the aether which tells it how fast to travel and the
observer's speed relative to the aether distorts his measurements such
that he ends up with a value c.

If one does away with the aether then the speed has to be source dependent

No .. not has to be (meaning there is no alternative) .. but it will, of
course, be c relative to the source .. and relative to the observer, and
relative to every other inertial frame of reference.

as the physical process generating the light is the only physical process
which can be responsible for the speed of the photons which make up light.

you pays your money and takes your choice.

--
John Kennaugh
"The nature of the physicists' default was their failure to insist
sufficiently
strongly on the physical reality of the physical world." Dr Scott Murray


.

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