Recent content by RandyReukauf

I think Einstein's equation (8a) is the equation that preserves the speed of light. My confusion is that it allows any value of ##x## and ##t##. Consider the standard construct of two inertial reference frames S and S' which are properly oriented and overlap each other at time ##t = t' = 0##...

So I can understand your claim, take equation (5) in the original post and substitute ##\gamma^2 =1## instead of the Lorentz factor. This makes the equation become $$ \big( - \frac{v^2}{c^2} \big)\, (x^2 - c^2\,t^2) + 2\,(1-1)\, vtx = 0\,. $$ For me to get zero on the left side, I...

Adding the negative of a value to itself will always equal zero, ##a - a = 0##, but this is a trivial case that is not of much use. In contrast, the case of a quadratic equation, ##ax^2 + bx + c = 0##, will not equal zero for all values of ##x## but only for the roots of the equation. The graph...

I was reading Einstein's Simple Derivation of the Lorentz Transformation which is Appendix I in his book Relativity: the Special & the General Theory. (Online copies can be found at Bartleby's and the Gutenberg Project websites.) I came across an interesting but confusing result by using the...

I'm a retiree (living on a farm in the Show-Me state of Missouri in the USA) who is curious about physics and other natural sciences.