Towards disentangling the meaning of relativistic length contraction

Redžić, Dragan V

doi:10.1088/0143-0807/29/2/002

Cited by 23 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Clearly, equation (35) applies to this type of clock too. Taking into account the principle of (special) relativity, and the universal boostability assumption [19,21], equation (35) can be given the following interpretation: any segment of 'life' + Möller's statement is clearly wrong in the case of the 'longitudinal' light-pulse clock (cf, e. g., [20], pp 105-9). Namely, a simple analysis reveals that the 'downwards' segment of life of the moving light clock (i. e., duration of the motion of light-pulse in the direction opposite to the direction of motion of the clock itself) lasts shorter than the corresponding segment of life of the same clock at rest, all with respect to the lab frame S, since…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Now we have to specify our clock so as to be relativistically valid. As can be seen, this cannot be done without recourse to Einstein's principle approach to Special Relativity, i. e. without employing the Lorentz transformation and the universal boostability assumption (cf [14,19]). A little reflexion reveals that one has to choose initial condition v x = v 0 for x r = A 1 − v 2 0 /c 2 .…”

Section: Clock In Uniform Motionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where r is the position vector of a field point with respect to the instantaneous (at the same instant t) position of q, θ is the angle between r and the velocity v 0 , and c 2 ≡ 1/ǫ 0 µ 0 . (Recall that throughout the relativity paper [3], Einstein used the same symbol (V ) for the speed of light in vacuo and the speed of electromagnetic waves in vacuo (V ≡ 1/ √ ǫ 0 µ 0 in SI system, not used by Einstein, he employed the Heaviside-Lorentz units), linking thus Special Relativity with Maxwell's theory (cf [19], p 197).) The magnetic flux density is…”

Section: Clock In Uniform Motionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subtleties of the clock retardation

Redžić¹

2015

Eur. J. Phys.

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For a simple electromagnetic model of a clock introduced by Jefimenko (clock # 1 in 1996 Am. J. Phys. 64 812), a change of the rate of the clock when it is set in uniform motion is calculated exactly, employing the correct equation of motion of a charged particle in the electromagnetic field and the universal boostability assumption. Thus, for the clock under consideration, a dynamical content of the clock retardation is demonstrated. Somewhat surprisingly, the analysis presented discloses that some familiar relativistic generalisations concerning the retardation of clocks have to be amended. PACS numbers: 03.30.+p; 41.20.-q † The somewhat misleading term 'time dilation' was probably introduced by Tolman [7]; incidentally, it appears that 'dilatation' would be the gramatically correct variant [8].

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Clock In Uniform Motionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Clock In Uniform Motionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subtleties of the clock retardation

Redžić¹

2015

Eur. J. Phys.

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“…The theory of relativity is now being studied at a high school level [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, many things that are obvious for graduates are not obvious to younger students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The physical laws can be written in a form that does not depend on the coordinate system. Coordinates are only numbers that give us a one-to-one correspondence between events and R 4 where R 4 is the set which consists of all (x, y, z, t) with x,y, z,t real numbers. Pupils know that to calculate the speed of a body they must divide space by time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The speed of light or the speeds of light?

Benedetto

Iovane

2022

Rev. Bras. Ensino Fís.

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The Italian government's Ministry of Public Education, which defines the high school curricula, has introduced almost all the topics of modern physics for students in their last year of high school. The theory of relativity is, perhaps, the argument most developed. The students, doing a web search, read that the speed of light can take different values in General Relativity (GR). We have noticed that this concept creates a lot of confusion and also a misconception in young students. In this paper, we want to describe a lecture given in the classroom about this topic.

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Appearance and reality: Einstein and the early debate on the reality of length contraction

Giovanelli

2023

Euro Jnl Phil Sci

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In 1909, Ehrenfest published a note in the Physikalische Zeitschrift showing that a Born rigid cylinder could not be set into rotation without stresses, as elements of the circumference would be contracted but not the radius. Ignatowski and Varićak challenged Ehrenfest’s result in the same journal, arguing that the stresses would emerge if length contraction were a real dynamical effect, as in Lorentz’s theory. However, no stresses are expected to arise, according to Einstein’s theory, where length contraction is only an apparent effect due to an arbitrary choice of clock synchronization. Ehrenfest and Einstein considered this line of reasoning dangerously misleading and took a public stance in the Physikalische Zeitschrift, countering that relativistic length contraction is both apparent and real. It is apparent since it disappears for the comoving observer, but it is also real since it can be experimentally verified. By drawing on his lesser-known private correspondence with Varićak, this paper shows how Einstein used the Ehrenfest paradox as a tool for an ‘Einsteinian pedagogy’. Einstein’s argumentative stance is contrasted with Bell’s use of the Dewan-Beran thread-between-spaceships paradox to advocate for a ‘Lorentzian pedagogy’. The paper concludes that the disagreement between the two ways of ‘teaching special relativity’ stems from divergent interpretations of philosophical categories such as ‘reality’ and ‘appearance’.

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Towards disentangling the meaning of relativistic length contraction

Abstract: An attempt is made to elucidate the essence of relativistic length contraction by scrutinizing its various interpretations that appear in the literature.

Cited by 23 publications

References 25 publications

Subtleties of the clock retardation

Subtleties of the clock retardation

The speed of light or the speeds of light?

Appearance and reality: Einstein and the early debate on the reality of length contraction

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