Physics: By Beauty it is beautiful. # After reading book ‘Albert Einstein’ by Leopold Infeld. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Infeld ========================. Page 4. ‘ Many believe that relative theory tells us that ours is a kind of Alice-in-Wonderland universe; . . . .‘ ‘ How, then, did the prejudice about the mysterious relative Alice-in-Wonderland universe arise?’ # I will try to give my brief remark about this situation. 1. In the 19th century aether /ether was the term used to describe a medium for the propagation of quantum of light (electromagnetic waves ). This aether had strange chracteristic. On one hand it must be very thin, because the planets move through it without resistence. On the other hand it must be very hard, because quantum of light is a transverse wave. And a transverse wave can move only in a hard space. It was created many theories to explain this paradox but without success. 2. In 1887 the Michelson-Morley experiment showed that the speed of quantum of light is constant in all directions regardless of the motion of the source. This experiment was interpreted as ’ether doesn’t exist’. 3. In 1905, Albert Einstein resolved this paradox by revising the Galilean model of space and time to account for the constancy of the speed of light. Einstein formulated his ideas in his special theory of relativity, which advanced humankind's understanding of space and time. / The special theory of relativity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light 4. In 1908 Herman Minkowski explained Einstein’s idea using time as forth dimension and said: ‘ Henceforth, space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality.’ =======================. # So, ‘ How, then, did the prejudice about the mysterious relative Alice-in-Wonderland universe arise?’ My opinion. On the page 5 Infeld wrote: ‘ Science is a rational structure; the greatest pleasure in studying is that of understanding. Without it knowledge means little.’
Very well. But if the ‘ Science is a rational structure’ then where is the Minkowski (-4D ) in nature, where is the ‘only a kind of union of the two’ ? Nobody knows where it is. So, what is about a rational structure? So, what is about a real structure, real nature? I don’t mean to criticize. I only cannot understand why the trick of changing concept of ether on the concept of space-time was passed without doubt, with glory and proud. =====. P.S. Maybe the reason of (-4D) long live is it mathematical beauty ? Page 45. ‘Minkowski mathematical genius put Einstein’s ideas into a new geometrical form that fully revealed their beauty and simplicity.’ But is it correct to say, that these two parameters real enough to explain and understand the real nature? About 2500 years ago, according to Plato, Socrates said: ‘ I do not go so far as to insist upon the precise details; only upon the fact that it is by Beauty that beautiful things are beautiful.’ This is exactly that physicists are doing. And as a result, going in such beautiful mathematical way we have many paradoxes in physics. Without the precise physical details, like: volume (V ), temperature (T ) and density ( P) the Minkowski beautiful and simple (-4D) is a pure mathematical game, it is an abstraction. =======. All the best. Israel Sadovnik Socratus ==============================. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Epistemology" group. To post to this group, send email to epistemology@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to epistemology+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/epistemology?hl=en.
