What is it about?
The paper describes the evidence demonstrating that light has no mass, where light passing through a glass of water has its fast speed in air, a slower speed in glass, an intermediate constant speed in water, then slower in glass again, and then it returns to its fast speed in air again. Particles with physical mass have no such ability and unlike light are subject to slowing due to friction. The work delineates the difference between light sped from its own instantaneous coordinate in spate versus light relative velocity with respect to a moving object. Light speed theoretical formulae and measured speed determined from light frequency and wavelength, and from direct measurement of distance traveled in time all agree with high accuracy and confirm the Maxwell derivation. These data indicate that the notion that time dilates for objects in motion is false, for both 2 and 1 dimensional situations.
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Why is it important?
The paper is important because so many claims about light are widely disseminated.
Perspectives
In 1966 our Physics teacher took our class to Harvey Mudd College where we were given an exam that contained a question that is widely regarded as correct but in fact is false. Experiments were later done that indicate that light photons exhibits lateral motion from lateral moving sources while propagating at speed c to angle travel to join a lateral moving target. This was used to prove that time dilation due to motion is not an actual change in the rate that true time progresses, but rather merely reflects different travel paths that are observed for light by observers in relative motion, in other words a mirage. A detailed re-write of the special tjheory of relativity was published, and this paper further clarifies that discovery.
Dr. Richard Sauerheber
Palomar Community College
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Characteristics of light: Velocity, massless energy, and special relativity, Optik, September 2018, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijleo.2018.04.070.
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