How Things Work: A Brief History of Reality
BOOK II: The Power of Three (#57. "Einstein's Conclusion Part-2")
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Tuesday, November 15, 2022
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein
PREFACE
The key to understanding Special Relativity Theory is not in the mathematics, it lies in understanding Einstein’s conclusion related to the concept of “simultaneity.” In this next thought experiment, he utilizes a step-by-step rational analogy to explain this problem. If you understand the basic point of this next thought experiment, you will essentially understand the essence of Relativity Theory. It is a completely “rational” process.
Which means there won’t be any math on the test!
ENTANGLEMENT #57 – Einstein’s Conclusion: Part Two
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."
– Albert Einstein
In perhaps his most famous thought experiment, Einstein utilizes a very simple analogy involving no mathematics whatsoever to succinctly and clearly present the problem involved with the experience of perception that we recognize as “simultaneity.” According to Einstein, the problem related to this “illusion” is directly connected to the “relativity” of time and space; not an “inconsistency” related to the speed of light. Here’s how it works.
Einstein imagined a traveling train being at a point on the track equal distance between two trees which were struck by lightning “at the same time.”
A bystander, standing at a point directly in between the two trees, would see both trees struck simultaneously.
However, a passenger in the middle of the train would see the front tree struck first.
This is because if light (lightening) moves at a constant speed it would take less time to travel from the front tree because the train is moving in its direction, thereby decreasing the distance needed to travel between its light and the passenger. Remember the kids on the flatbed truck?
Whereas the tree in the back is moving away from the train in the opposite direction, thereby increasing the distance needed for its light to reach the passenger; meaning the light from the tree in the front would reach the passenger first.
However, that would mean that the speed of light was relative to position and other movement, just like everything else in the universe. Einstein hypothesized that if the speed of light truly was constant, then something else must not be.
Einstein came to understand that “simultaneity” is relative; events that occur as simultaneous “in time” for one observer may in fact occur as non-simultaneous “in time” for another.
This led him to the conclusion that the inconsistency he was looking for was not related to the speed of light at all, but to a counterintuitive notion that time is relative to the state of motion, and that even the concept of distance, or space, is relative.
Time and space were not two completely separate entities that stood alone and absolute. They were more like two co-dependent variables working together to create a universe far more complex than first thought or imagined.
What exactly are the ramifications of such a revolutionary new concept of Reality?
POSTSCRIPT
We have grown accustomed to Einstein’s radical considerations regarding Space and Time because it was something we learned about in high school. We may not have understood it, but we “knew” it was true. However, the argument that space and time were not “real” the way we thought they were, was more than revolutionary at the time. It literally changed the course of science. Mostly because of the actual empirical consequences arising from these purely rational explanations of Reality.
Next week we will consider the first bizarre empirical consequence arising from Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, Time Dilation.
Expand the Conversation by Upgrading to “Reality by a Thread!”
Excerpt from Untangling the Knots of Reality – Podcast #23: “Untangling the ‘Mind’ of Descartes” UPGRADE TODAY!
This Week on “The Thread”:
•Untangling the Knots of Reality Podcast: “Untangling the ‘Mind’ of Descartes” (“Descartes argues that physical sensations, such as light and sound waves, or vibrations, are perceived by the senses and converted by the brain into the perceptions of color and sound. However, it is the mind that brings rationality to this process. The ears perceive vibrations that the brain converts to sound, however it is the mind that allows us to experience that physical process as music. Music is rational, not a random set of vibrations. The mind gives us access to this rationality, which allows us to recognize and appreciate the rational abstract art known as music…” )
•Reality by a Thread (Discussion Thread): Preview of Book V – “The Arch of Human Consciousness & Awareness: Part 5 – Human Consciousness ” (“The essence of physicality is manifested at the atomic/molecular level of reality. Everything that is physical is made up of atoms and molecules, including us. We are a “physical” being. The “Quantum” experience of being at the Empirical Level is about the interaction between atoms and molecules. A world of its own that we have no “conscious awareness” of yet is inherently connected to everything we experience in the empirical world, including our own bodies. We often acknowledge this “elemental” relationship upon leaving the empirical world with the words, “dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” reminding us of our inherent empirical nature. We are directly connected to the “Quantum World” and its influence. Physical Reality is sustained through this Quantum state of interaction...”)
•FREE PDF Download of Book IV: “The Cosmic Symphony – Overtones of String Theory” plus other discounts and benefits.
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Book II: The Power of Three – Understanding Reality Through Science & Religion
Book III: The Enigmatic Mystery – Transcending Science & Religion
Coming Soon: Untangling the Knots of Eastern & Western Dualism (Podcasts 1-14)
