Download PHYSICS FABLE Daniel L. Haulman 30

PHYSICS FABLE
Daniel L. Haulman
[email protected]
30 January 2009
An aircraft approached a target. When the aircraft was x meters away from the target, it shot a
missile toward the target. One second later, when the aircraft was less than x meters away from the
target, the missile hit the target. What was the speed of the missile? One second before the missile hit
the target, the missile was x meters away from the target. Relative to the target, the missile moved at a
speed of x meters per second. One second after the missile left the aircraft, the missile was less than x
meters away from the aircraft. Relative to the aircraft, the missile moved at a speed of less than x
meters per second. The speed of the missile relative to the target did not equal the speed of the missile
relative to the aircraft. The speed of the missile was relative and not absolute.
Along came a scientist who developed a new theory that the speed of a missile is always the
same. When facing the example above, he explained the apparent difference between the speed of the
missile relative to the target and the speed of the missile relative to the aircraft by using a concept of
time dilation. He theorized that time passed more slowly for the aircraft than for the target, because
the aircraft was moving faster than the target. The scientist claimed that if the missile moved x meters
in one second relative to the target, the missile moved less than x meters in less than a second relative
to the aircraft. In other words, a second for the target was less than a second for the aircraft.
His theory fell apart, however, when someone wondered what would happen if the aircraft
were moving away from the target rather than toward it. When the aircraft was y meters away from
the target, it shot a missile toward the target. One second later, when the aircraft was more than y
meters away from the target, the missile hit the target. What was the speed of the missile? One second
before the missile hit the target, the missile was y meters away from the target. Relative to the target,
the missile moved at a speed of y meters per second. One second after the missile left the aircraft, the
missile was more than y meters away from the aircraft. Relative to the aircraft, the missile moved at a
speed of more than y meters per second. The speed of the missile relative to the target did not equal
the speed of the missile relative to the aircraft. The speed of the missile was relative and not absolute.
The scientist tried to reconcile the apparent difference between the speed of the missile relative
to the target and the speed of the missile relative to the aircraft using time dilation again. He theorized
again that time passed more slowly for the aircraft than for the target, because the aircraft was moving
faster than the target. But he found that if the missile moved y meters in one second relative to the
target, it moved more than y meters in less than a second relative to the aircraft. This time, time
dilation increased the difference between the speed of the missile relative to the target and the speed
of the missile relative to the aircraft, rather than eliminating the difference. The scientist’s theory was
discredited. The speed of the missile was not absolute after all, but was relative instead.
Now imagine the aircraft as a spacecraft and the missile as a photon and the scientist as Albert
Einstein. The foundation of the special and general theories of relativity would be called into question.
FLAWED THEORY
Suppose a man had a theory that the speed of light in a vacuum was always 186,000 miles per
second. That person and that theory would be wrong. Let me explain.
Suppose spacecraft A was approaching spacecraft B at a steady speed of 1,000 miles per
second. When spacecraft A was 187,000 miles away from spacecraft B, spacecraft A shot a beam of light
toward spacecraft B. Would the light from spacecraft A reach spacecraft B one second later, when
spacecraft A was 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B? The answer is yes if the light moved at a speed
of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A, and the answer is no if the light moved at a speed
of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B.
If the speed of the light from spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to
spacecraft A, one second after leaving spacecraft A, the light would reach 186,000 miles away from
spacecraft A. If by then spacecraft A had moved to a distance of 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B,
the light from spacecraft A would reach spacecraft B in one second. But if the light from spacecraft A
reached spacecraft B one second after being 187,000 miles away from spacecraft B, the speed of the
light from spacecraft A relative to spacecraft B would have been 187,000 miles per second. In other
words, if the speed of the light from spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft
A, the speed of the light from spacecraft A would have been 187,000 miles per second relative to
spacecraft B.
If the speed of the light from spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to
spacecraft B, one second after being 187,000 miles away from spacecraft B, the light would still be 1,000
miles away from spacecraft B. If the light from spacecraft A were 1,000 miles away from spacecraft B
when spacecraft A had reached a distance of 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B, the light would
have moved only 185,000 miles away from spacecraft A in one second. The speed of the light from
spacecraft A would have been only 185,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A if the speed of the
light from spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B. Either the light from
spacecraft A moved at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A, or it moved at a
speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B. The light from spacecraft A could not have
moved at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to both spacecraft A and spacecraft B.
An apologist for the theory that the speed of light is always 186,000 miles per second in
a vacuum might argue that time dilation would allow the speed of the light from spacecraft A to be the
same relative to both spacecraft A and spacecraft B if time passed more slowly on spacecraft A than on
spacecraft B. If light from spacecraft A moved 186,000 miles in one second relative to spacecraft A, it
could move 187,000 miles in more than one second relative to spacecraft B. If light from spacecraft A
moved 186,000 miles in one second relative to spacecraft B, it could move 185,000 miles in less than
one second relative to spacecraft A. One could conclude that time passed more slowly on spacecraft A
than on spacecraft B because spacecraft A was moving faster than spacecraft B. But the theory of an
absolute light speed would still be wrong. Let me explain.
Suppose spacecraft A were moving away from spacecraft B at a speed of 1,000 miles per
second, instead of toward it. When spacecraft A was 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B, spacecraft
A shot a light beam toward spacecraft B. Would the light from spacecraft A reach spacecraft B one
second later, when spacecraft A was 187,000 miles away from spacecraft B? The answer would be yes if
the speed of the light were 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B, and the answer would be
no if the speed of the light were 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A.
If the light moved a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B, one
second after being 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B, the light from spacecraft A would reach
spacecraft B. But if the light from spacecraft A reached spacecraft B when spacecraft A had reached a
distance of 187,000 miles away from spacecraft B, the speed of the light from spacecraft A relative to
spacecraft A would have been 187,000 miles per second. In other words, if the speed of the light from
spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B, the speed of the light would have
been 187,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A.
If the light moved at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A, one
second after leaving spacecraft A, the light from spacecraft A would have reached a distance of 186,000
miles away from spacecraft A. If by then spacecraft A had moved to a distance of 187,000 miles away
from spacecraft B, the light from spacecraft A would still be 1,000 miles away from spacecraft B one
second after leaving spacecraft A. If the light from spacecraft A were 1,000 miles away from spacecraft
B one second after being 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B, the light would have moved only
185,000 miles toward spacecraft B in one second. In other words, if the speed of the light from
spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A, the speed of the light from
spacecraft A would have been only 185,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B.
In the second example, as in the first, the speed of the light from spacecraft A was either
186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A, or 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B.
The speed of the light from spacecraft A could not have been 186,000 miles per second relative to both
spacecraft A and spacecraft B. Now try time dilation to reconcile the difference in the speeds in the
second example, still imagining that time passes more slowly on spacecraft A than on spacecraft B
because spacecraft A is moving faster than spacecraft A.
If the light from spacecraft A moved 186,000 miles in one second relative to spacecraft
B, it would have moved 187,000 miles in less than a second relative to spacecraft A. If the light from
spacecraft A moved 186,000 miles in one second relative to spacecraft A, it would have moved 185,000
miles in more than a second relative to spacecraft B. In this case, time dilation would increase rather
than eliminate the difference in the speed of the light relative to spacecraft A and relative to spacecraft
B. Time dilation does not solve the problem in the second example.
One must conclude that the speed of light in a vacuum could not always be 186,000
miles per second. Whatever theorist suggested that the speed of light is always the same would be
wrong. The foundation of Albert Einstein’s special and general theories are both based on the premise
that the speed of light is absolute, but the speed of light is relative.
THREE PROBLEMS FOR EINSTEIN
Albert Einstein is generally considered to be the greatest scientist of the twentieth century, and
possibly the greatest scientist of all time. Unquestionably, he revolutionized physics and is revered as
one of the most influential figures of modern history. Yet the foundation of Einstein's special and
general theories of relativity is flawed. Let me explain why I believe that the speed of light is not
absolute after all.
Problem 1:
When A was x meters away from B, A shot two projectiles toward B. One second later, when A
was y meters away from B, the projectiles reached B. What was the speed of the projectiles?
Here is my solution:
One second before the projectiles reached B, they were x meters away from B. Relative to B,
the projectiles moved at a speed of x meters per second. One second after the projectiles left A, they
were y meters away from A. Relative to A, the projectiles moved at a speed of y meters per second. The
projectiles did not move relative to each other. Relative to each other, the speed of the projectiles was
zero meters per second.
The speed of the projectiles relative to A did not equal the speed of the projectiles relative to B,
and the speed of the projectiles relative to each other did not equal their speeds relative to either A or
B. The speed of the projectiles was not absolute but relative. The projectiles could have been photons.
If the speed of photons is relative, the speed of light is relative. If the speed of light is elative, the
foundation of Albert Einstein's special and general theories of relativity is false.
An apologist for Einstein might argue that the speed of the photons could be kept the
same relative to both A and B because of time dilation (slower passage of time for faster moving
objects), or length contraction (shortening of faster moving objects). In this case, however, we do not
know if A or B is moving faster, or whether A is moving toward or away from B, or whether B is moving
toward or away from A.
Problem 2:
Spacecraft A was moving directly toward spacecraft B which was moving directly toward a
nebula. When spacecraft A was x miles away from spacecraft B and y miles away from the nebula,
spacecraft A launched two photons toward spacecraft B and the nebula. One second later, when
spacecraft A was z miles away from spacecraft B, spacecraft B reached the nebula, and the two photons
reached spacecraft B and the nebula. What was the speed of the photons? One second before the
photons reached spacecraft B, they were x miles away from spacecraft B. Relative to spacecraft B, the
photons moved at a speed of x miles per second.
One second before the photons reached the nebula, they were y miles away from the nebula.
Relative to the nebula, the photons moved at a speed of y miles per second. One second after the
photons left spacecraft A, they were z miles away from spacecraft A. Relative to spacecraft A the
photons moved at a speed of z miles per second.
The photons did not move relative to each other. Relative to each other the photons moved at
a speed of zero miles per second. The speed of the photons was one quantity relative to spacecraft B, a
second quantity relative to the nebula, a third quantity relative to spacecraft A, and a fourth quantity
relative to each other. The speed of the photons was relative and not absolute. If the speed of photons
is relative and not absolute, the speed of light is relative and not absolute. If the speed of light is
relative and not absolute, the foundation of Albert Einstein's special and general theories of relativity is
false.
Problem 3:
Spacecraft A was moving steadily toward a planet at a speed of 1,000 miles per second.
Spacecraft B was moving steadily away from the same planet at a speed of 1,000 miles per second.
When both spacecraft A and spacecraft B were 186,000 miles away from the planet, they each shot a
laser beam toward the planet. Would the laser beams reach the planet at the same time one second
later, when spacecraft A was 185,000 miles away from the planet, and spacecraft B was 187,000 miles
away from the planet?
If the light from each spacecraft moved at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to the
planet, one second after being 186,000 miles away from the planet, the light from each spacecraft
would reach the planet, and the two light beams would reach the planet at the same time. But if the
light from spacecraft A reached the planet one second after leaving spacecraft A, and spacecraft A had
reached a distance of 185,000 miles away from the planet, the light would have moved 185,000 miles
away from spacecraft A in one second, and the speed of the light from spacecraft A relative to
spacecraft A would have been 185,000 miles per second. In other words, if the speed of the light from
spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to the planet, the speed of the light from
spacecraft A would have been 185,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A. If the light from
spacecraft B reached the planet one second after leaving spacecraft B, and spacecraft B had reached a
distance of 187,000 miles away from the planet, the light would have moved 187,000 miles away from
spacecraft B in one second, and the speed of the light from spacecraft B relative to spacecraft B would
have been 187,000 miles per second. In other words, if the speed of the light from spacecraft B were
186,000 miles per second relative to the planet, the speed of the light from spacecraft B would have
been 187,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B.
If the light from each spacecraft moved at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative
to the spacecraft from which it came, the light from spacecraft A would reach the planet before the
light from spacecraft B reached the planet. If the light from spacecraft A reached 186,000 miles away
from spacecraft A in one second, it would reach a distance of 185,000 miles away from spacecraft A in
less than a second. If the light from spacecraft B reached 186,000 miles away from spacecraft B in one
second, it would reach a distance of 187,000 miles away from spacecraft B in more than a second. One
second after leaving each spacecraft, the light from spacecraft A would have already reached the planet,
and the light from spacecraft B would still be 1,000 miles away from the planet. In other words, if the
speed of the light from each spacecraft were 186,000 miles per second relative to the spacecraft from
which it came, the speed of the light from spacecraft A would have been more than 186,000 miles per
second relative to the planet, and the speed of the light from spacecraft B would have been less than
186,000 miles per second relative to the planet.
Either the speed of the light from each spacecraft was 186,000 miles per second relative
to the planet, and the two laser light beams reached the planet at the same time, or the speed of the
light from each spacecraft was 186,000 miles per second relative to the spacecraft from which it came,
and the light from spacecraft A reached the planet before the light from spacecraft B reached the
planet. In either case, if the speed of the light from each spacecraft relative to its source did not equal
the speed of the light from each spacecraft relative to its target, the speed of light is relative and not
absolute, and the foundation of Albert Einstein's special and general theories of relativity is false.
Relative Speeds
If a source and a target are moving relative to each other, the speed of the light from the source
would not equal the speed of the light relative to the target. The speed of the light would have been
relative and not absolute.
Albert Einstein built much of his special and general theories of relativity on the equations of
James Clerk Maxwell, who believed that the speed of electromagnetic radiation is always the same
(approximately 186,000 miles per second). But James Clerk Maxwell also believed that electromagnetic
radiation consisted of waves that moved in a universal ether, and the speed of the electromagnetic
radiation was therefore always the same relative to the universal ether. If there were no ether, as the
Michelson-Morley experiment suggested, there would be no foundation for an absolute light speed.
Spacecraft A was moving at a speed of 1,000 miles per second toward a moon. Spacecraft B was
moving at a speed of 1,000 miles per second away from that moon. Spacecraft C was not moving either
toward or away from that moon. When all three spacecraft were 186,000 miles away from the moon,
all three spacecraft shot light beams toward the moon. Would the light beams reach the moon at the
same time?
If each of the three light beams moved at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to the
moon, one second after being 186,000 miles away from the moon, all three light beams would reach the
moon. The three light beams would reach the moon at the same time. But if the light beams from each
of the three spacecraft reached the moon at the same time, the light from spacecraft A would move at a
speed of 185,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A, the light from spacecraft B would move at a
speed of 187,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B, and the light from spacecraft C would move
at a speed of 186,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft C. Let me explain.
If spacecraft A were moving at a speed of 1,000 miles per second toward a moon, one second
after being 186,000 miles away from the moon, spacecraft A would be 185,000 miles away from the
moon. If the light from spacecraft A reached the moon one second after the spacecraft was 186,000
miles away from the moon, and by then spacecraft A was 185,000 miles away from the moon, the light
would have moved only 185,000 miles in one second relative to spacecraft A. The speed of the light
from spacecraft A would have been 185,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft A if the speed of the
light from spacecraft A were 186,000 miles per second relative to the moon.
If spacecraft B were moving at a speed of 1,000 miles per second away from the moon, one
second after being 186,000 miles away from the moon, spacecraft B would be 187,000 miles away from
the moon. If the light from spacecraft B reached the moon one second after spacecraft B was 186,000
miles away from the moon, and by then spacecraft B was 187,000 miles away from the moon, the light
would have moved 187,000 miles in one second relative to spacecraft B. The speed of the light from
spacecraft B would have been 187,000 miles per second relative to spacecraft B if the speed of the light
from spacecraft B were 186,000 miles per second relative to the moon.
If spacecraft C were not moving toward or away from the moon, and remained 186,000 miles
away from the moon, the speed of the light from spacecraft C would have been 186,000 miles per
second relative to both the moon and spacecraft C. One second after leaving spacecraft C, the light
from spacecraft C would be 186,000 miles away from spacecraft C. One second before reaching the
moon, the light from spacecraft C would have been 186,000 miles away from the moon.
If the speed of the light from all three spacecraft were 186,000 miles per second relative to the moon,
the speed of the light from spacecraft A would have been 185,000 miles per second relative to
spacecraft A, the speed of the light from spacecraft B would have been 187,000 miles per second
relative to spacecraft B, and the speed of the light from spacecraft C would have been 186,000 miles per
second relative to spacecraft C.
If the speed of the light from each spacecraft were 186,000 miles per second relative to the
spacecraft from which it came, instead of relative to the moon, the light from spacecraft A would reach
the moon first, the light from spacecraft C would reach the moon second, and the light from spacecraft
B would reach the moon last. In any case, the speed of light is not absolute, but relative. If that is the
case, there is something wrong with the absolute light speed premise of Albert Einstein's special and
general theories of relativity.
Conclusions:
1. Nothing moves at an absolute speed. The speed of anything is meaningless except
with reference to something else. Light is not exempt from this rule.
2. The speed of A relative to B equals the speed of B relative to A.
3. If A moved from B to C while the distance between B and C remained the same, the
speed of A relative to B equals the speed of A relative to C.
4. If A moved from B to C while the distance between B and C changed, the speed of A
relative to B does not equal the speed of A relative to C.
5. Everything is moving at many different speeds at the same time, compared with the
millions of moving objects in the universe.
6. The length, mass, and rate at which time passes for one thing does not depend on its
speed, because everything is moving at many different speeds at the same time.
Daniel L. Haulman, PhD
1819 East Trinity Boulevard
Montgomery, AL 36106