Reference: Essays on Substance
An Analysis of SR
Einstein made the postulate that the velocity of light is absolute. To maintain that postulate, Einstein had to abandon the classical notions of absolute time and space. He introduced the concept of spacetime, where time is relative and can dilate (pass more slowly) based on an object’s motion, while the space contracts in the direction of motion. The mathematics also led to mass and energy being interchangeable. This approach resolved the apparent contradictions between classical mechanics and electromagnetism.
However, Einstein’s postulate applies only to inertial frames of reference. The inertia relates to matter only. Matter has a very limited range of velocities. This whole range is very small compared to the velocity of light. Therefore, SR applies only to a small range of velocities observed for matter.
To obtain relative velocity, the velocities of matter that are not too different can simply be added or subtracted. This is the Newtonian formula for relative velocities. It works because the corresponding mass/inertia are not very different.
The Newtonian formula does not work well when the velocities are very different. This is because the associated mass/inertia is also significantly different. In this case, the relative velocity cannot be obtained by simple addition/subtraction. SR provides a better approximation.
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According to the theory of Substance,
The velocity of a particle in free space is constant because its motion is balanced by the inertia of its mass (consistency). The motion increases as the consistency decreases.
SR seems to take into account this balance of motion and inertia indirectly, within the range of motion for matter. But this is not obvious; as SR tries to explain it through time dilation compensating space contraction.
According to the theory of Substance, a faster moving object in space has a greater reduction of inertia than a slower moving object, and this needs to be taken into account. The reduced inertia is accompanied by increased wavelength and reduced frequency. So the space of the object expands instead of contracting; and the frequency of the object, that determines the time of the clock, slightly decreases. The idea of time dilation only means reduction in clock’s ticking.
Please note that the larger velocities for matter, closer to the velocity of light, are meaningless because at those velocities the wavelength has increased so much, and the frequency has decreased so much, that matter has literally transformed into energy.
SR produces results because the velocity of light is so very large compared to applicable range of velocities for matter that it remains constant.
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