Albert Einstein introduced the special theory of relativity (STR) in his paper, “On The Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” (1905). He later explained STR in a somewhat less technical book, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (English translation, 1920). From my reading of the book and other sources, some of which are listed in the bibliography that I will append to each part of this series, I have found what I believe to be errors in STR — or at least in the explanations of it offered by Einstein and accepted by “consensus” among physicists. (The “sneer quotes” are meant to deride the anti-scientific notion of truth by consensus. In any event, there were and are qualified dissidents, including the late Dr. Thomas E. Phipps Jr., who has a place in my bibliography.)
Much of what I say here will be jarring to readers who accept Einstein’s STR. I welcome their comments, and the comments of others. But readers should know that I will acknowledge only those comments that address specifically the facts, physical explanations, mathematics, or logic of this series. References to useful source materials are also welcome. General comments (pro or con) are useless, as are comments that simply regurgitate or defend the standard explanation of special relativity without addressing what I say here. I understand the standard explanation, but I believe it to be flawed, for reasons you may evaluate as you read this series.
Comments may be sent to the following email address: the Germanic nickname for Friedrich followed by the surname of the 1974 Nobel laureate in economics followed by the 3rd and 4th digits of his birth year followed by the usual typographic symbol followed by gmail.com .
Here’s what lies ahead:
I. The Impetus for This Series
II. Special Relativity: The Standard Explanation
IV. A Further Look at Simultaneity
VII. Further Thoughts on the Meaning of Spacetime and the Validity of STR