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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 10: Poster

GR 10.2: Poster

Thursday, March 12, 2009, 12:25–12:34, Dekanatsgang

Is the Speed of Light ’c’ a True Constant? — •Albrecht Giese — Taxusweg 15, 22605 Hamburg

Einstein has - in his structure-based theory of relativity - stated that the speed of light ’c’ is a true constant under all circumstances. The physical community has accepted this in spite of the problems arising from this paradigm; see the deadlock situation of present physics (e.g. Quantum Gravity).

The constancy of the speed of light has 3 aspects:

1.) Is ’c’ the same for an observer in motion or at rest?

Einstein says: YES – Lorentz says: NO; only the >measured< ’c’ is constant resulting from the contraction of measuring rods and the de-synchronization of clocks during motion.

2.) Is ’c’ the same inside and outside a gravitational field?

Einstein says: YES – We say: NO; ’c’ is reduced in a gravitational field as the direct measurement tells us; the apparent curvature of space is in truth a refraction effect caused by the variation of ’c’

3.) Was ’c’ a constant during the development of the universe?

Einstein says: YES – Magueijo says: NO; if we accept an (adapting) decrease of ’c’, we can avoid the inflation in cosmology and the landscape of 10¹⁰⁰ universes.

Note that the alternative approaches mentioned above yield the same mathematical results as the traditional version of Einstein, to the extent as they are confirmed by experiments.

Further information: www.ag-physics.org/relat and /gravity