MEMO 20.1 Einstein’s Five Major Goals

Because Special Relativity is seemingly so disorganized and confusing for most readers, and it often appears to be doing several inconsistent things simultaneously, we have proposed a more intuitive structure for the theory in the form of an outline of Einstein’s five major goals for his Special Theory. They were:

1. To make every physical law of nature (including light) mathematically symmetrical; that is, the same for every inertial observer by making such law algebraically co-variant with respect to Lorentz transformation equations. (see Chapters 20A, 20E, 20F, 20G, & 27)

2. To defend Maxwell’s equations and Einstein’s theory of a constant propagation velocity of light at c relative to anything, against the paradoxical computation of velocities (c + v and c – v) caused by the Galilean transformation equations. (Chapter 19) Einstein attempted to accomplish this goal, inter alia:

A. By conjecturing that Galileo’s Relativity and the Galilean transformation equations were applicable to all of physics including electrodynamics (light) and optics (Chapters 23 and 24); and then

B. By asserting that the Lorentz transformation equations must be substituted for the Galilean transformations, so that mathematically the propagation velocity of light would always be measured as c in every inertial reference frame. (Chapter 27)

3. To establish the Lorentz transformations as a universal law of nature, because they mathematically resolved the above paradox concerning the propagation velocity of light, and because they resulted in a relative (dilated) time and a relative (contracted) distance (Chapter 28) that mathematically explained the M & M paradox. Einstein attempted to accomplish this goal, inter alia:

A. By defining ‘time intervals’ in terms of simultaneity, synchrony, common time, and relative simultaneity, with respect to inertial reference frames (Chapters 25 and 26); and

B. By defining ‘distance’ (length) as a variable quantity depending upon the relative velocity of inertial reference frames, because of relative simultaneity. (Chapter 26)

4. To change all of the non-EM laws of physics so that mathematically they appear to be velocity dependent and are consistent with his second postulate for light, by applying the Lorentz transformations to every conceivable physical phenomenon. Einstein attempted to accomplish this goal, inter alia:

A. By conjecturing that the coordinate measurements of Newton’s laws of mechanics were no longer valid (Chapters 26 and 28);

B. By devising a new relativistic formula for the computation of velocities where no two velocities can exceed c, and where c was the maximum possible velocity (Chapter 29);

C. By asserting formulae that mathematically demonstrated that electromagnetic mass increases with relative velocity (Chapter 32);

D. By conjecturing relativistic mathematical explanations and formulae for Fizeau’s paradoxical 1851 experiment, the Doppler effects of light, the relationship between mass and energy, as well as many other mysterious phenomena and experimental results. (Chapters 8, 29, 31, 32 and 33)

5. To attempt to confirm the above equations, conjectures, concepts, explanations, and mathematical consequences with analogies, rationalizations, interpretations and related experimental results that appeared to have some approximate or coincidental relevance to the same. (Chapters 36, 37 and 38)