A dual first-postulate basis for special relativity

DOI10.1088/0143-0807/24/3/311MaRDI QIDQ4460619zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Brian Coleman

Publication date 18 May 2004

Published in European Journal of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.03502

zbMATH Keywords

universal limit speed

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Special relativity (83A05) Equations of motion in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C10)

Abstract: An overlooked straightforward application of velocity reciprocity to a triplet of inertial frames in collinear motion identifies the ratio of their cyclic relative velocities' sum to the negative product as a cosmic invariant, whose inverse square root corresponds to a universal limit speed. A logical indeterminacy of the ratio equation establishes the repeatedly observed unchanged speed of stellar light as one instance of this universal limit speed. This formally renders the second postulate redundant. The ratio equation furthermore enables the limit speed to be quantified, in principle, independently of a limit speed signal. Assuming negligible gravitational fields, two deep-space vehicles in non-collinear motion could measure with only a single clock the limit speed against the speed of light, without requiring these speeds to be identical. Moreover, the cosmic invariant (from dynamics, equal to the mass-to-energy ratio) emerges explicitly as a function of signal response time ratios between three collinear vehicles, multiplied by the inverse square of the velocity of whatever arbitrary signal might be used.

Recommendations

• The necessity of the second postulate in special relativity
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2059306
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1796858
• Einstein's misgivings about his 1905 formulation of special relativity
• The conceptualization of time and the constancy of the speed of light

Cited in

(8)

• On the ingredients of the twin paradox
• Generalized Edwards transformation and principle of permutation invariance
• The relativistic Doppler effect: when a zero-frequency shift or a red shift exists for sources approaching the observer
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 429169 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2059306 (Why is no real title available?)
• The necessity of the second postulate in special relativity
• Constancy of the speed of light and the unit matching problem
• (Pre-) causality and the Lorentz transformations

This page was built for publication: A dual first-postulate basis for special relativity

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q4460619)