Related papers: The "optical" version of the barn-pole problem
Simple signal-propagation effects make receding objects seem contracted and approaching objects seem elongated. These effects are theoretically photographable, and are proportional in strength to the frequency-change in the object's emitted…
The distinction between the real positions of moving objects in a single reference frame and the apparent positions of objects at rest in one inertial frame and viewed from another, as predicted by the space-time Lorentz Transformations, is…
We show that starting with the fact that special relativity theory is concerned with a distortion of the observed length of a moving rod, without mentioning if it is a "contraction" or "dilation", we can derive the Lorentz transformations…
For the special theory of relativity, the normalization problem is formulated as the question how observers in constant relative motion may reach an agreement on space and time scales. As the normalization problem does not receive a…
The conventional discussion of apparent distortions of space and time in Special Relativity (the Lorentz-Fitzgerald Contraction and Time Dilatation) is extended by considering observations of : (i) moving objects of limited lifetime in…
The strange visual appearance of objects is one of the puzzling predictions of Einstein's relativity. This is mainly due to the distinction between measuring and seeing, where the former is described by the Lorentz Transformation and the…
Special Relativity (SR) kinematics is derived from very intuitive assumptions. Contrary to standard Einstein's derivation, no light signal is used in the construction nor it is assumed to exist. Instead we postulate the existence of two…
In this paper, it is shown why Lorentz Transformation implies the general case where observed events are not necessarily in the inertia frame of any observer but assumes a special scenario when determining the length contraction and time…
The conventional discussion of the observed distortions of space and time in Special Relativity (the Lorentz-Fitzgerald Contraction and Time Dilatation) is extended by considering observations, from a stationary frame, of : (i) objects…
The development of both special and general relativity is accomplished in a series of 6 papers using a simple approach. The purpose is to explain the how and why of relativity to a broad public, and to be useful for students of physics by…
Nature succeeds in accelerating extended and massive objects to relativistic velocities. Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei and in galactic superluminal sources and gamma-ray bursts fireballs have bulk Lorentz factors from a few to several…
Simple physical models of a measuring rod and of a clock are used to demonstrate the contraction of objects and clock retardation in special relativity. It is argued that the models could help in promoting student understanding of special…
Sometimes it becomes a matter of natural choice for an observer (A) that he prefers a coordinate system of two-dimensional spatial x-y coordinates from which he observes another observer (B) who is moving at a uniform speed along a line of…
We show that some primary special relativity effects, which are believed to be hardly detectable in everyday life, such as time dilation, relativistic Doppler effect, and length contraction, should tangibly and spectacularly show up here on…
Although many papers have appeared on the theory of photographing relativistically moving objects, pioneered by the classic work of Penrose and Terrell, three problems remain outstanding. (1) There does not seem to exist a general formula…
From the basic concepts of general relativity, we investigate the rotation of the polarization angle by a moving gravitational lens. Particularly, we clarify the existing confusion in the literature by showing and explaining why such…
We look afresh at the deduction of the "Lorentz contraction" of a "rod" from the Lorentz transformation equations of the special theory of relativity. We show that under special conditions, which include acceleration of the "rod", length…
Vectorial analysis relating to derivation of deflection of light is presented. Curvilinear acceleration is distinguished from the Newtonian polar conic acceleration. The difference between the two is due to the curvature term. Lorentz…
We generalize our previous work on gravitational lensing by a Kerr black hole in the strong deflection limit, removing the restriction to observers on the equatorial plane. Starting from the Schwarzschild solution and adding corrections up…
Two thought experiments are described in which ruler measurements of spatial intervals are performed in different reference frames. They demonstrate that such intervals are frame-independent as well as independent of the nature of the…