English

Space-time symmetry is broken

General Physics 2016-10-27 v1

Abstract

Space-time intervals corresponding to different events on the worldline of any ponderable object (for example a clock) are time-like. In consequence, in the analysis of any space-time experiment involving clocks only the region for cΔt0c\Delta t \ge 0 between the line Δx=0\Delta x = 0 and the light cone projection cΔt=Δxc\Delta t = \Delta x of the cΔtc\Delta t versus Δx\Delta x Minkowski plot is physically relevant. This breaks the manifest space-time symmetry of the plot. A further consequence is the unphysical nature of the `relativity of simultaneity' and `length contraction' effects of conventional special relativity theory. The only modification of space-time transformation laws in passing from Galilean to special relativity is then the replacement of universal Newtonian time by a universal (position independent) time dilation effect for moving clocks.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1610.08330,
  title  = {Space-time symmetry is broken},
  author = {J. H. Field},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1610.08330},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

8 pages, 2 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-22T16:32:32.131Z