ON SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT RELATIVISTIC CO-ORDINATE TRANSFORMATIONS
Some authors have recently attempted to substitute alternate formalisms for the Lorentz transformation of special relativity. Their main purpose is to avoid conceptual difficulties that they feel are linked with the asymmetrical aging that leads to the so-called clock paradox. It is shown that the interpretation of their theories is fallacious and based on a misconce tion. The new schemes and the conventional special relativity are physically equivalent, and differ only by the choice of units. Therefore, the adoption of one or the other of these formalisms is completely irrelevant in so far as the description of the physical phenomena is concerned. These remarks may help one to dispose of some physically unwarranted philosophical misgivings regarding asymmetrical aging. Some constants in the transformation formulas of special relativity depend directly on the choice of the units to be used. However, several authors claim to derive the values of those constants from physical arguments without mentioning the units. It is shown that all such arguments involve some fallacy. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- General Dynamics, Fort Worth, Tex.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-009231
- OSTI ID:
- 4081548
- Journal Information:
- Nuovo Cimento (Italy) Divided into Nuovo Cimento A and Nuovo Cimento B, Vol. Vol: (10), 30; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-64
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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