Related papers: Relativistisk Rapsodi
Scientific discussions of the arrow of time often get quite confusing due to highly complex systems they deal with. Popular literature then often coveys messages that tend to get lost in translation. The purpose of this note is to demystify…
A mathematical definition of classical causality over discrete spacetime dynamics is formulated. The approach is background free and permits a definition of causality in a precise way whenever the spacetime dynamics permits. It gives a…
A review is made of recent efforts to add a gravitational field to noncommutative models of space-time. Special emphasis is placed on the case which could be considered as the noncommutative analog of a parallelizable space-time. It is…
We present a deductive theory of space-time which is realistic, objective, and relational. It is realistic because it assumes the existence of physical things endowed with concrete properties. It is objective because it can be formulated…
Based on several recent developments in relativistic astrophysics and observational cosmology, this article discusses prospects of (1) theoretical structure of General Relativity (GR) in the new era and (2) submission of GR to new and…
In the Special Theory of Relativity space and time intervals are different in different frames of reference. As a consequence, the quantity 'velocity' of classical mechanics splits into different quantities in Special Relativity, coordinate…
The importance of a teaching a clear definition of the ``observer'' in special relativity is highlighted using a simple astrophysical example from the exciting current research area of ``Gamma-Ray Burst'' astrophysics. The example shows…
We present a solution to the time discontinuity paradox in rotating reference frames by postulating that time is periodic. A kinematic restriction is enforced that requires the discontinuity to be an integral number of the periodicity of…
Reasoning under uncertainty is a fundamental challenge in Artificial Intelligence. As with most of these challenges, there is a harsh dilemma between the expressive power of the language used, and the tractability of the computational…
An attempt is made to remedy confusing treatments of some basic relativistic concepts and results in recent papers by Franklin (2010 {\it Eur. J. Phys.} {\bf 31} 291-8) and by McGlynn and van Kampen (2008 {\it Eur. J. Phys.} {\bf 29}…
In my previous work, physics/0205011, I reported several observations on special relativity, its experimental facts and its relations to quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. These observations made us conscious: Special relativity…
Relationalism -- along the lines developed by Barbour and collaborators in the past 3 decades -- can be considered an advance with 1/4 of the facets of the canonical approach's Problem of Time as identified by Isham and Kuchar. Indeed,…
Arguments are reviewed and extended in favor of presenting special relativity at least in part from a more mechanistic point of view. A number of generic mechanisms are catalogued and illustrated with the goal of making relativistic effects…
I review the meaning of General Relativity (GR), viewed as a dynamical field, rather than as geometry, as effected by the 1958-61 anti-geometrical work of ADM. This very brief non-technical summary, is intended for historians.
It is proposed that spacetime should be regarded as an evolving block universe, bounded to the future by the present time, which continually extends to the future. This future boundary is defined at each time by measuring proper time along…
We define a completely new space-time starting from the well known Schwarzschild Space time by defining a new polar angle $\phi '= \phi - \omega t$ and then redefining the periodicity: instead of demanding that the original angle be…
We show that a topology can be defined in the four dimensional space-time of special relativity so as to obtain a topological semigroup for time. The Minkowski 4-vector character of space-time elements as well as the key properties of…
For over a century Minkowskian spacetime has dominated discussions of space contraction and time dilation within special relativity. Brown and Pooley have called into question both the assumptions of Minkowski and the effects his presumed…
We extend to three dimensions the proposal of a completely relativistic positioning system (rPS). The system does not rely on approximations, in fact, it works at a few Schwarzschild radii from a black hole, and it does not rely on…
This paper has pedagogical motivation. It is not uncommon that students have great difficulty in accepting the new concepts of standard special relativity, since these seem contrary to common sense. Experience shows that geometrical or…