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Einstein's special theory is not the only theory that combines a form of light speed constancy with the relativity principle. A theory along the lines of that proposed by Heinrich Hertz (in 1890) [17] allows for light to be fully dragged by all objects, giving local c-constancy for all physical observers.
In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory of the relationship between space and time.In Albert Einstein's 1905 paper, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, the theory is presented as being based on just two postulates: [p 1] [1] [2]
The speed of light in vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion or of the motion of the light source. The resultant theory copes with experiment better than classical mechanics. For instance, postulate 2 explains the results of the Michelson–Morley experiment. Moreover, the theory has many surprising and ...
By adopting Einstein synchronization for the clocks, the one-way speed of light becomes equal to the two-way speed of light by definition. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] The special theory of relativity explores the consequences of this invariance of c with the assumption that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference.
In the theory, the one-way speed of light is principally only equal to the two-way speed in the aether frame, though not in other frames due to the motion of the observer through the aether. However, the difference between the one-way and two-way speeds of light can never be observed due to the action of the aether on the clocks and lengths.
Einstein's Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper (On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies), [einstein 3] his third paper that year, was received on 30 June and published 26 September. It reconciles Maxwell's equations for electricity and magnetism with the laws of mechanics by introducing major changes to mechanics close to the speed of light.
In his 1905 paper on light quanta, [p 16] Einstein created the quantum theory of light. His proposal that light exists as tiny packets (photons) was so revolutionary, that even such major pioneers of quantum theory as Planck and Bohr refused to believe that it could be true.
Albert Einstein and Hendrik Lorentz in 1921 in Leiden. This timeline describes the major developments, both experimental and theoretical, of: Einstein’s special theory of relativity (SR), its predecessors like the theories of luminiferous aether, its early competitors, i.e.: Ritz’s ballistic theory of light,