Related papers: The Relativistic World: A common sense perspective
The fundamental equations of relativistic dynamics are derived from a thought experiment and from the transformation of relativistic velocity avoiding collisions and conservation laws of momentum and energy.
Despite its apparent complexity, our world seems to be governed by simple laws of physics. This volume provides a philosophical introduction to such laws. I explain how they are connected to some of the central issues in philosophy, such as…
According to conventional wisdom, presentism is at odds with the theory of relativity. This is supposed to be shown quite simply just by considering the relativity of simultaneity. In this paper I will show that conventional wisdom is…
We present a streamlined axiom system of special relativity in first-order logic. From this axiom system we "derive" an axiom system of general relativity in two natural steps. We will also see how the axioms of special relativity transform…
In this paper we bring to light an hitherto undisclosed richness of this Theory, namely its admitting a consistent reformulation which is able to provide a unified scenario for all kinds of particles, be they lightlike or not. This result…
We summarize the main ideas of General Relativity and Lorentzian geometry, leading to a proof of the simplest of the celebrated Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems. The reader is assumed to be familiar with Riemannian geometry and point…
I propose a new class of interpretations, {\it real world interpretations}, of the quantum theory of closed systems. These interpretations postulate a preferred factorization of Hilbert space and preferred projective measurements on one…
Evidence for fine-tuning of physical parameters suitable for life can perhaps be explained by almost any combination of providence, coincidence or multiverse. A multiverse usually includes parts unobservable to us, but if the theory for it…
The space-time of modern physics is tailored on light. We rigorously construct the basic entities needed by kinematics: geometry of the physical space and time, using as tool electromagnetic waves, and particularly light-rays. After such a…
In non-relativistic as well as in special relativistic quantum theory, {\em mass} and {\em charge} are {\em pure numbers} appearing in various (quantum) operators and admit {\em any values}, {\it ie}, values for these quantities are to be…
With vast amounts of high-quality information at our fingertips, how is it possible that many people believe that the Earth is flat and vaccination harmful? Motivated by this question, we quantify the implications of an opinion formation…
The conventionalistic aspects of physical world perception are reviewed with an emphasis on the constancy of the speed of light in relativity theory and the irreversibility of measurements in quantum mechanics. An appendix contains a…
This paper evaluates some important aspects of the multiverse concept. Firstly, the most realistic opportunity for it which is the spacetime variability of the physical constants and may deliver worlds with different physics, hopefully…
We introduce a relativistic action that provides a unified and physically meaningful description of particle dynamics in external fields. The proposed action is constructed to be Lorentz covariant and reduces to the standard classical…
Reductionism has dominated science and philosophy for centuries. Complexity has recently shown that interactions---which reductionism neglects---are relevant for understanding phenomena. When interactions are considered, reductionism…
This paper describes a mathematical formulation for measuring how one system can estimate the consciousness of another. This consciousness estimate is always relative to the observer. The paper shows how this formulation leads to simple…
An elementary account of special relativity for school-children.
A positive mass theorem for General Relativity Theory is proved. The proof is 4-dimensional in nature, and relies completely on arguments pertaining to causal structure, the basic idea being that positive energy-density focuses null…
With his General Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein produced a revolution in our conception of reality and of the knowledge we can obtain from it. This revolution can be viewed from philosophy as leading to one of the great paradigms in…
Assuming that the relativistic universe is homogeneous and isotropic, we can unambiguously determine its model and physical properties, which correspond with the Einstein general theory of relativity (and with its two special partial…