Title: Special relativity completed: The source of some 2s in the magnitude of physical phenomena
Abstract: Some factors of 2 relate predictions made of relativistic systems by the special and the general theory. Conventional wisdom often assigns the source of the factors of 2 to complicated kinematical effects of general relativity. It is pointed out that special relativity plus the complete form of the equivalence postulate can be made into a logical structure which allow them, in a heuristic manner, to predict not only local effects, but also some global effects described by the general theory. Calculation of the gravitational deflection of light and the precession of the perihelion of planets using special relativity with the complete equivalence postulate makes the origin of some 2s simple to understand. From the time of Minkowski on, the requirements and constraints on the theory of relativity have been demonstrated using group theoretical arguments. The general observation is made that physics teaching would be improved in the persuasiveness of its epistemology if the properties of physical systems which are displayed by the group theory of representations played a larger role in the physics curriculum.
Publication Year: 1986
Publication Date: 1986-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 16
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