- #1
Battlemage!
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I have heard people argue about an anti-symmetric synchronizing convention allows for a different or even an infinite one-way speed of light. I thought about it and I wanted to know what you thought about the notion that the permeability and permittivity constants completely preclude this notion of a one-way speed of light equal to anything other than c.
Basically, it seems to me that since the permeability and permittivity constants are measured using your basic electromagnetic objects like magnets and capacitors, that measuring their values has nothing to do with any synchronizing convention. And since c = 1/sqrt(permeability*permittivity), the only possible way for c to ever be infinite is if one or both can be measured to be zero, and only possible way for it to be anything other than c is if both of them change.
Thus the whole notion seems to be complete nonsense. There is no way either can be found to be zero (or anything other than their normal value) since, unless I'm mistaken here, any measurement in a suitable reference frame will give the same value. The laws of physics are the same in all reference frames, therefore the constants of the universe have to be the same, correct? There isn't a preferred reference frame so there is no reason for either or these constants to ever be zero (or anything other than what they are defined to be).
So, it seems to be that unless you conveniently forget that light is an electromagnetic wave, there is no possible way for the speed of light to be anything but c no matter what direction it is going.
Is this a reasonable conclusion? Why or why not?
Basically, it seems to me that since the permeability and permittivity constants are measured using your basic electromagnetic objects like magnets and capacitors, that measuring their values has nothing to do with any synchronizing convention. And since c = 1/sqrt(permeability*permittivity), the only possible way for c to ever be infinite is if one or both can be measured to be zero, and only possible way for it to be anything other than c is if both of them change.
Thus the whole notion seems to be complete nonsense. There is no way either can be found to be zero (or anything other than their normal value) since, unless I'm mistaken here, any measurement in a suitable reference frame will give the same value. The laws of physics are the same in all reference frames, therefore the constants of the universe have to be the same, correct? There isn't a preferred reference frame so there is no reason for either or these constants to ever be zero (or anything other than what they are defined to be).
So, it seems to be that unless you conveniently forget that light is an electromagnetic wave, there is no possible way for the speed of light to be anything but c no matter what direction it is going.
Is this a reasonable conclusion? Why or why not?