Einstein, the Aether & Variable Rest Mass - Softcover

Jack Heighway

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1607257920 ISBN 13: 9781607257929

Publisher: HeighwayPubs, 2009

Synopsis

This book has two purposes. The first is to remove most of the mystery which has long permeated the subject of special relativity by providing a basis upon which the intelligent reader may achieve a real understanding. The second is to prove that the correct interpretation of Einstein s theory of gravitation must comprehend variable rest masses. Part I deals with special relativity, showing that its non-intuitive aspects stem from a failure to recognize the implications of the prescribed method for synchronizing clocks. The existence of the aether is proved, at least in a mathematical sense, by a consideration of an imaginary but possible universe, the topology of which is that of a flat three-torus. Several seemingly mysterious phenomena of special relativity are analyzed in detail from the aetherist standpoint and are thus made comprehensible. Part II presents the correct interpretation of Einstein s theory of gravity, in which variable rest masses plays a dominant role. The mathematics of Einstein s theory of gravity is accepted, but the conventional interpretation of the theory is shown to be in error. This conclusion follows from a careful investigation of the cause of gravitational slowing of clocks, which reveals that the reduction of rest mass is responsible. The reduction of rest mass is intuitive and easily understood. Lifting a heavy object requires the expenditure of energy. But the energy invested is recoverable it exists, we have been told, as gravitational potential energy. Where is this energy? It is in the object itself, existing as an increase, usually very tiny, in the rest mass of the object, in accord with the famous equation, E=mc2. Thus if work, dE, is done on a body, the mass of that body will increase by the amount, dm = dE/c2. Conversely, lowering an object (and absorbing the released potential energy) will result in a decrease in the rest mass of the object. Importantly, the reduction of rest mass also implies the elongation of measuring rods, which, in turn, implies that the accepted geometry is incorrect. Correcting for this effect reveals the true character of the geometry of space in the neighborhood of a gravitating body. In particular, the character of a black hole is quite different from that presently accepted. Part III deals with the cosmological problem. The assumed large-scale homogeneity implies momentum conservation (Noether s theorem). This, in turn, demands that rest masses increase in proportion to A(t), the function that is conventionally interpreted as a scale determining the increasing distance between galaxies, but which, under the new interpretation, must be identified as determining how rest masses evolve, increasing with the passage of time. It is concluded that the red shift has nothing to do with the expansion of space itself (the current understanding), but rather is a simple consequence of the fact that in the past, spectral emission frequencies were reduced because of the reduced rest masses of the era in which the emission occurred. Part IV surveys other variable rest mass theories, and presents various detailed calculations in thirteen appendices. Part V is a personal account of the development of the theory and of unsuccessful efforts to publish in peer-reviewed journals.

About this title

About the Author

The author is a 1952 graduate of Miami University (Ohio). After a three year stint in the Navy, he continued his studies, receiving a master's in math from Kent State in 1957. He was recruited by NACA and went on to enjoy a long career (1958-1994) with the NASA s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. Although he has no degree in physics, virtually all of his work at Lewis was in that field. He was also fortunate to do graduate work with Leslie Foldy of Case and with JW Weinberg (McCarthy s scientist X ) of Western Reserve. In addition, he was privileged to be associated with William G Harter, who gave a remarkable series of lectures on Group Theory each summer from 1964 to 1971. But he claims that the best of his education was received from persons never met, especially Lev Landau and Richard Feynman. He has been retired since 1994 and is enjoying life with his wife Barbara in Naples, Florida.

Edition details

• Publisher: HeighwayPubs
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1607257920
• ISBN 13: 9781607257929
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 146