On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 09:21:12 -0500, "Ralph E. Frost"
wrote:

[This QUESTION is deemed Overly speculative.in s.p.r.]

Dear All,

I am wondering if the following might be quick and dirty helpful way of
illustrating the effects and influences of inertial mass in some teaching
situations:

In contrast to the rather earth-centric traditional thinking that the
local
region is moving at 0 m/s and light is moving at +300,000 m/s, might it
be
somewhat useful to provisionally normalize all velocities so that light
"moves at 0 m/s" and the local region moves at -300,000 m/s? Yeah, it's a
different convention, and I am certainly not clear on what a negative
velocity might be. However, the juxtapositon seems to place the local
region "down a hole" and perhaps it emphasize the ties that bind
electrons
and quarks -- matter -- closer to the bubbling Diracian sea of so-called
virtual particles.

The rule of everything moving slower that the speed of light still holds
and, when c is seen as a difference, mc^2 is not going to change whether
the difference is positive of negative. However, in the alternate
convention, when I press on the accelerator and burn energy to get my old
Saab rolling faster, it seems clear that as my car and I move closer to
the speed of light. we're definitely doing work to stretch the many fibers
that hold us to Great Slowness of the local region.

...whereas, I don't get that impression as clearly, if at all when I try
to
think of the local region moving at 0 m/s and light traveling at +300,000
m/s. the less traveled way ~feels~ like a tighter fit.

Any thoughts or comments?

Ralph
yeah 300,000,000 m/s







Mr. Dual Space
(If you have something to say, write an equation.
If you have nothing to say, write an essay).