Were there objections to Einstein's theory of relativity?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the historical objections to Einstein's theory of relativity, particularly the two postulates of special relativity. Participants explore the perceived lack of notable objections from the scientific community at the time of its introduction, comparing it to other scientific theories that faced significant resistance.

Discussion Character

  • Historical
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why there seemed to be no notable objections to the constancy of the speed of light in vacuum, suggesting that other scientific ideas faced more ridicule historically.
  • Another participant asserts that there were indeed many objections to relativity from prominent physicists, but these are often omitted from textbooks.
  • Some participants discuss the political context surrounding Einstein's acceptance, noting that post-World War I sentiments may have influenced the scientific community's reception of his work.
  • Concerns are raised about the historical portrayal of figures like Max Planck and the nature of objections they faced, with some arguing that the criticisms were not as severe as suggested.
  • One participant challenges the accuracy of historical claims regarding the acceptance of the roundness of the Earth and the circumstances surrounding Giordano Bruno's execution, suggesting these are popular myths rather than factual accounts.
  • Another participant points out that the constancy of light was supported by Maxwell's equations and the Michelson-Morley experiment, implying that this prior evidence contributed to the quick acceptance of relativity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the historical reception of relativity, with some asserting that significant objections existed while others argue that the theory was accepted relatively smoothly. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent and nature of objections to Einstein's work.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various historical figures and events, but there is a lack of consensus on the accuracy of these references and their relevance to the discussion of relativity. Some claims about historical events are challenged, indicating potential misunderstandings or oversimplifications of complex historical narratives.

  • #31
blue_leaf77 said:
Would things like LHC, nuclear reactor, and accelerators be the good examples? Just want to check if I'm right.

Absolutely.
From Bandersnatch's link: http://www.edu-observatory.org/physics-faq/Relativity/SR/experiments.html#Tests_of_kinematics

Kinematics is basically the study of how energy and momentum conservation laws constrain and affect physical interactions. The two basic predictions of SR in this regard are that massive objects will have a limiting velocity of c (the speed of light), and that their “relativistic mass” will increase with velocity. This latter property implies that the Newtonian equations for conservation of energy and momentum will be violated by enormous factors for objects with velocities approaching c, and that the corresponding formulas of SR must be used. This has become so obvious in particle experiments that few experiments test the SR equations, and virtually all particle experiments rely upon SR in their analysis. The exceptions are primarily early experiments measuring energy as a function of velocity for electrons and protons.

As the link says, relativistic effects are dealt with so much that they are a fundamental part of particle experiments, especially those involving particle colliders/accelerators.
 
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  • #32
There is still many people who refuse to accept it and still cling to the aether hypothesis. A quick search on YouTube will reveal there are many people who will not accept reality.
 
  • #33
By the way can someone give an example of physical statements, theory or principle, etc that describe reality?
 
  • #34
blue_leaf77 said:
By the way can someone give an example of physical statements, theory or principle, etc that describe reality?

All of science? That's pretty much its entire purpose.
 
  • #35
Yeah science was created in order to help human understand reality. But no one can guarantee that what science describes coincides perfectly with the reality itself.
 
  • #36
blue_leaf77 said:
Yeah science was created in order to help human understand reality. But no one can guarantee that what science describes coincides perfectly with the reality itself.

Of course not.
 

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