Open Questions in Relativistic Physics [Paperback]

. (Author), Franco Selleri (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998

Proceedings of a conference held in Athens, Greece in June 1997. Papers discuss the historical background and conceptual as well as empirical difficulties with conventional relativity theory, while new approaches to understanding electromagnetism and gravitation are presented. Contains 38 papers by authors from 17 different countries.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Franco Selleri received his Ph.D. cum laude from Bologna University in 1958, and has been a fellow of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare since 1959. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the Fondation Louis de Broglie, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Italian Physical Society. He has had numerous visiting professorships and fellowships, including CERN, Saclay, Cornell and Dubna. He is the recipient of a medal from Gdanskie Towarzystwo Naukowe (Poland). He has published more than 200 papers in particle physics, quantum theory, relativity and history and philosophy of physics. He is also the author of numerous books, including: Die Debatte um die Quantentheorie, Vieweg, Braunschweig (1983: translated into French, Spanish, Greek, Japanese and Italian); Quantum Paradoxes and Physical Reality, Kluwer, Dordrecht (1990: expanded version of Debatte); Paradossi e Realta, Laterza, Bari (1987: translated into Polish, Portuguese, Greek); Fisica senza Dogma, Dedalo, Bari (1989: translated into Spanish); FISICA, Dizionario enciclopedico, with V. Paticchio (1993); Che cos'e l'energia, Riuniti, Roma (1982). He has edited numerous conference proceedings on topics relating to the foundations of physics.

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From the Editor's Preface:

"The true conceptual background of the two relativistic theories (special and general) has been re-emerging in recent times, after more than half a century of domination of the neopositivist conception of science. Einstein himself was strongly influenced by positivism in his youth, and admitted that the special theory of relativity was based on a direction of thought conforming with Mach's ideas. The hegemony of logical empiricism had, as a first consequence, that Einstein's role was somewhat inflated, while the contributions of other authors (Lorentz, Larmor, Poincare, etc.) were generally underestimated. More than experimental evidence, this was the reason why the typically realistic conjectures, such as that of ether, were eliminated in favour of more abstract conceptions. At the present time the domination of positivism appears to have come to an end, and a new era may be opening for realism."

"A correct understanding of the true history of relativity has recently produced several surprises..."

"It has been firmly established that certain fundamental ingredients of the two relativistic theories are basically arbitrary, the main one being the introduction of the so-called 'Einstein clock synchronisation.'"

"Actually, in recent years it seems to be almost normally accepted in the scientific milieu that the "theory of relativity" is just a name, not to be taken too literally. The total relativism which the theory could seem to embody is now perceived to be only an illusion. One can conclude that not all is relative in relativity, because this theory also contains some features that are observer independent, i.e. features which are absolute!"

"For the reasons cited here, the new trends in relativistic research are based on: (1) Overcoming of positivistic limitations to the conceptions to be used in scientific research; (2) Awareness of the limited applicability of the relativity principle itself; (3) Conventionality of the invariance of the one way velocity of light; (4) Probable existence in nature of absolute velocities; (5) Possibility of re-introducing the luminiferous ether."

Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: C. Roy Keys Inc (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0968368913
• ISBN-13: 978-0968368916
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,574,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New trends on relativistic research., April 1, 2000

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This review is from: Open Questions in Relativistic Physics (Paperback)

After several decades of acceptance of both special and general relativity teories without any appreciable criticism, a correct understanding of both theories has revealed the existence of several *arbitrary ingredients*. In this book, starting from the analysis of Sagnac effect, several authors discuss the *OPEN QUESTIONS IN RELATIVITY*. It is remarkable the attention given to the philosophical discussion on the implications of relativity in the description of the laws of nature. This book should be in evidence in every physics library.