On 04/23/2011 05:05 PM, Stephen A. Lawrence wrote:
On 04/23/2011 10:14 AM, Mauro Lacy wrote:
That way, absolute motion will be detected in the direction at which
the time delta is greater. The light ray will take longer, travelling
at a fixed velocity, to reach the receiving device, because the travel
distance in that direction will be greater. Again, because the
receiving device will be moving away while the light ray is travelling
towards it.
If this is not the case, we must postulate that the movement of the
emitting device affects the velocity of the ray of light. And
therefore c is not constant. Or, we must postulate that the medium is
moving solidary with the experimental setup. And we have detected
ether entrainment.
Wrong, and wrong: We don't need to postulate either of those things.
Sorry, but you have to postulate one of them, if the former(delta time
differences) is not the case.
First of all: what's for you the expected outcome of the experiment?
Will time differences be detected, or not?
Of course, SR dispenses with the "medium" (which must have some pretty
bizarre physical properties, by the way, if it exists) and leads to a
result where the measured velocity of the ray is affected neither by the
source's motion nor by the receiver's motion. But you're apparently
*assuming* a "medium" and dispensing with SR.
The medium(whatever its properties) is the space in between emitter and
detector. Do you agree that that
space(whatever its properties) exists, don't you?
What you may not be aware of is that the final (most mature?) version of
Lorentz's aether theory included physical contraction of objects which
were in motion relative to the aether along the line of motion, and
included a time dilation effect on objects which were in motion relative
to the aether. The result was a set of transformation equations which
were, in fact, identical to the ones used by Einstein (the "Lorentz"
transforms, please note, not the "Einstein" transforms). Consequently,
in the final version of LET ("Lorentz Ether Theory"), motion relative to
the aether is *not* detectable, despite the fact that the aether is not
being "dragged" by bodies moving through it. (Aether drag always seemed
to me to be a rather dicey way to explain anything, for a number of
reasons.)
I couldn't care less, Stephen. In the proposed experiment, we have two
synchronized clocks, and a ray of light. I don't need to *calculate*
anything using Lorentz or Einstein transforms. I just need to take time
measurements, and take the time difference between both measurements.
The only calculation is a simple substraction. Moreover: transforms
don't make sense, because both emitter and receiver are always moving
with a relative velocity of zero.
In short, according to Lorentz's theory, the aether can't be detected
through velocity measurements. There is an "aether frame" but there is
no way to tell how fast you're moving relative to it.
Well, according to the experiment I'm proposing, movement relative to
the ether must be detected, or the velocity of light cannot be thought
of as constant, or the ether is entrained by physical objects.
Again, and first and foremost: what's the expected outcome of the
experiment I'm proposing?
Mauro
