Chapter 3
On the Principles of Physics
“Transition to (c+v) (c-v) Mathematics in Electromagnetic Theory” in my book (Alice Law Version 8), I discussed “The Importance of the Principles of Physics”;
however, I always thought that my explanation there was inadequate.
This deficiency remained within me as a painful wound. Here, I wish
first of all to remedy this deficiency.
Let us begin with the Galilean Principle of Relativity. Let us discuss how it arose and what it means.
3.1 – THE GALILEAN PRINCIPLE OF RELATIVITY AND
ALBERT EINSTEIN’S TWO PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS
Galileo never wrote what we
today call the Galilean Principle of Relativity as a one-line law. He
presented it through the character Salviati in his work Dialogo sopra i
due massimi sistemi del mondo (Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World
Systems), published in 1632.
Its most famous presentation is as follows (in an abridged and fluent Turkish adaptation based on the original text):
“Shut yourself up with a friend in the main
cabin below decks on some large ship. Take with you flies, butterflies,
and other small flying creatures. Keep a large bowl containing fish.
Hang a bottle above so that drops of water fall into another
narrow-necked vessel below.
While
the ship is stationary, observe carefully. The small creatures fly with
equal ease in every direction in the room. The fish swim with equal
ease in every direction. The drops of water fall into the vessel
directly below. When you throw an object to your friend, the same force
is sufficient no matter which direction you throw it. Likewise, you can
jump equal distances in every direction.
After observing all these things, let the ship begin to move with a uniform and smooth motion, whatever its speed may be.
Then
you will not see even the slightest change in any of the events you
observe. From these observations, you will not be able to tell whether
the ship is moving or at rest.”
Galileo Galilei, Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo (1632). English translation: ChatGPT; abridged adaptation: Han Erim.
The English text of Galileo’s ship account can be seen here:
Galileo, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
The principle formulated on the basis of this account and widely used in textbooks today is generally stated as follows:
If a reference frame is in uniform
linear motion, mechanical experiments performed within that frame
cannot determine whether the frame is at rest or moving at a constant
speed.
Or, more briefly:
Uniform linear motion cannot be detected absolutely.
Two important points emphasized by Galileo:
The motion must be constant.
Galileo specifically imposes
the condition of “uniform and not fluctuating” motion—that is, uniform
and smooth motion. This principle does not apply to an accelerating
ship.
Experiments must be performed within a closed system.
The ship’s cabin is isolated
from the outside world. If you cannot see outside (the shore, the sea,
etc.), you cannot discern the motion. If you use an external reference,
you can of course notice the motion.
This text later formed the
basis of Newton’s Corollary V and, approximately three centuries later,
Einstein’s Special Principle of Relativity. Einstein’s innovation was
to extend Galileo’s principle not only to mechanics but to all laws of
physics, including electromagnetism.
3.2 - Einstein’s Principles of Physics
1. Einstein’s Principle of Relativity (English)
In 1919, Einstein expressed the principle very clearly in the following words:
"Every universal law of nature which
is valid in relation to a coordinate system C, must also be valid, as
it stands, in relation to a coordinate system C', which is in uniform
translatory motion relatively to C."
In contemporary terminology, the principle can be stated more simply as follows:
"All laws of physics that are valid in one inertial reference
frame are valid in the same form in all other inertial reference frames
moving with uniform linear motion relative to it."
At this stage, Albert Einstein’s Universal Speed of Light Principle must also be addressed.
2. Einstein’s Universal Speed of Light Principle (English)
"Light is always propagated in empty space with a definite
velocity c which is independent of the state of motion of the emitting
body."
As is well known, these two principles formed the two fundamental pillars of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
3.3 - Alice Law and the Galilean Principle of Relativity
Now I am carefully making the
transition from here to Alice Law. First of all, I must say that Alice
Law set out from the beginning on the basis of these two postulates of
Albert Einstein. Although the Universal Speed of Light Postulate
appears at first glance to conflict with the idea that “Light travels toward its destination at speed c”,
this depends on how the principle is interpreted. When we assume that
every object has a space of its own—and an examination of the Law of
Universal Gravitation will show this assumption to be highly probable;
see Chapters 8 and 9—the apparent contradiction between these two
propositions disappears, opening the way for (c+v) (c−v) mathematics and Alice Law in electromagnetic theory.
In fact, at the beginning I had only (c+v) (c−v)
mathematics, and this mathematics told me that I had to interpret the
postulate in this way. Therefore, this idea was not added to Alice Law
later; it had been present in the mathematics from the beginning. But
it took me decades to reach the point where I could express it with the
clarity and certainty I have today. Twenty-five years have now passed.
I now feel more at ease and can state my ideas openly and without
hesitation. Believe me, sometimes this can be very difficult; at least
it was so for me in the past.
Consequently, I believe that
the Universal Speed of Light Principle could be updated in a manner
more consistent with Alice Law as follows:
Universal Speed of Light: In empty space, light travels at
the constant speed c relative to the reference frame of its
destination, independently of the motion of the source that emits it.
Alice Law has never had any problem with the Principle of Relativity.
For Alice Law, Albert Einstein’s Principle of Relativity is as
important as the Universal Speed of Light Principle. Believe me,
without that principle you cannot do anything. In my view, it is
impossible to construct a theory without it. When formulating the
Principle of Relativity, Einstein based it on the equivalence of
reference frames established by the Galilean Principle of Relativity
for classical mechanics and extended this principle to encompass all
laws of physics.
I must emphasize an important
point here: In the later years of my work, I began to prefer and use
the Galilean Principle of Relativity instead of the Principle of
Relativity. The reason is that this name spontaneously evokes the “ship
scenario” in the mind and makes reasoning easier. The difference is
that, in Alice Law, the Galilean Principle of Relativity has been
extended to include electromagnetic interaction. Thus, the Galilean
Principle of Relativity in Alice Law has the same scope as Einstein’s
Principle of Relativity.
Nevertheless, there is an
important distinction: Both approaches accept the equivalence of
reference frames; however, the Theory of Relativity expresses this
equivalence through Lorentz transformations, whereas Alice Law
expresses it through Galilean transformations.
In my work, I needed to use a
short definition that described the Galilean Principle well. There is
no original definition of the principle written by Galileo himself.
Because there has been a great need in this regard, various researchers
have expressed this principle in various ways. In essence, all of them
actually say the same things. I once searched the internet for a
definition to use in my work. I came across the definition below and
copied it, but when I later searched for the text again, I could not
find it. Therefore, I cannot provide a source. I use it because I like
the definition.
Definition of the Galilean Principle of Relativity updated for Alice Law:
Galilean Principle of Relativity: The fundamental laws of
physics are valid in the same form in all inertial reference frames
moving at constant speed relative to one another.
The two principles written above form the theoretical foundation of Alice Law today.
3.4 - Logical Consequences of the Galilean Principle of Relativity
At this stage, I wish to
address here the logical consequences that can be derived from the
Galilean Principle of Relativity. These logical consequences are truly
very important, because they can be used to arrive at consistent
assumptions in theoretical physics. I asked ChatGPT to write the
section below, titled “Logical Consequences of the Galilean Principle
of Relativity.” In my opinion, it produced a rather fine and
well-organized text.
1. Absolute speed cannot be measured.
An observer cannot determine their absolute speed solely through
mechanical experiments conducted within their own reference frame.
Explanation:
Speed can be defined only relative to another reference frame. There is
no quantity that can be measured on its own as a “true speed.”
2. Motion is relative.
Whether an object is moving can be stated only relative to another reference frame.
Explanation: The same object may be at rest relative to one observer and moving relative to another.
3. Uniform linear motion and rest cannot be distinguished mechanically.
Mechanical experiments conducted in a closed laboratory do not show whether the system is at rest or moving at a constant speed.
Explanation:
This is the fundamental conclusion of Galileo’s ship example.
4. The laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames.
No inertial reference frame is privileged over another.
Explanation:
A mechanical experiment conducted in one laboratory yields the same
result in another laboratory moving under the same conditions.
5. Uniform linear motion cannot be felt.
An observer moving at constant speed in a closed system cannot physically feel their uniform linear motion.
Explanation:
What is felt is not speed but acceleration.
6. Acceleration can be determined through experiments performed within the system.
When a reference frame accelerates, an observer within the frame can
determine this acceleration through local experiments without needing
an external reference.
Explanation:
An accelerometer, a pendulum, felt vibrations, and inertial effects
reveal that the system is accelerating. What is at issue here is proper
acceleration, which can be measured locally. Therefore, the Galilean
Principle of Relativity applies only to inertial reference frames.
7. Absolute rest cannot be demonstrated.
No mechanical experiment can yield the conclusion, “I am completely at rest relative to the universe.”
Explanation:
Rest, like motion, is relative.
8. All uniform linear motions are equivalent.
All inertial reference frames moving at different constant speeds are considered equal in terms of physics.
Explanation: Nature does not privilege one inertial frame over another.
9. An observer cannot determine the direction of their uniform linear motion.
An observer cannot determine the direction of their uniform linear
motion solely through mechanical experiments conducted within a closed
system.
Explanation: The direction of velocity, like its magnitude, acquires meaning only relative to another reference frame.
Who is moving, and who is at rest?
Let us consider the subject in terms of two objects.
Object A
Object B
Let there be a constant speed v between A and B.
According to the Galilean Principle, the following conclusions arise:
1. Relative to A
A is at rest.
B is moving at speed |v|.
This observation is entirely correct.
2. Relative to B
B is at rest.
A is moving at speed |v|.
This observation is also entirely correct.
3. Which one is actually moving?
According to the Galilean Principle, this question has no answer.
Because motion is not absolute but relative.
Therefore:
"In reality, A is moving."
"In reality, B is moving."
statements of this kind have no meaning in Galilean mechanics.
4. Which one is actually at rest?
This question also has no answer.
A is at rest in its own reference frame.
B is at rest in its own reference frame.
Both are correct from their own perspective.
5. Which one is faster?
This question is also incomplete.
The correct question is:
Relative to whom?
For example:
B’s speed relative to A = |v|
A’s speed relative to B = |v|
Both observations are correct.
6. Whose reference frame is correct?
The answer of the Galilean Principle:
Both are equally correct.
No inertial reference frame is superior to another.
7. If a mechanical experiment is performed
A performs an experiment in its own laboratory.
B performs the same experiment in its own laboratory.
Both obtain the same result.
Therefore, experiments cannot reveal which object is “actually” moving.
Galileo’s conclusion
All of this can be summarized in the following sentence:
For
two inertial bodies, it is physically impossible to determine which is
moving in an absolute sense and which is at rest in an absolute sense.
Their motion can be defined only relative to each other.
An important point here
The
comparison above considers only the relative motion between A and B.
When a third reference frame is added to the comparison (for example,
the Earth, the Sun, or distant stars), we can use statements such as “A
is moving relative to the Earth” or “B is at rest relative to the Sun.”
However, these statements are true relative to the selected reference frame; they still do not mean absolute motion or absolute rest.
This
distinction constitutes the essence of the Galilean Principle and later
also formed the basis of Einstein’s Principle of Relativity.
ChatGPT
***
I believe that if physics had a
constitution, the Galilean Principle of Relativity would be its first
article. I think that any theory contradicting this principle cannot be
correct and therefore has no chance of surviving. Alice Law has
entrusted itself entirely to this principle and obeys it without
question. The Galilean Principle of Relativity is also the protector of
Alice Law; it is its protective shield.
Establishing that the Galilean
Principle of Relativity does not encompass electromagnetic interaction
would bring the life of Alice Law to an end. On the other hand,
experiments testing the fundamental claims of Alice Law are also
extremely important experiments that will reveal whether the Galilean
Principle of Relativity encompasses electromagnetic interaction. From
this perspective, experiments testing Alice Law will rank among the
most important experiments in the history of physics. With these
experiments, you are testing not only Alice Law but also the validity,
for electromagnetic interaction, of an exceptionally deep-rooted, very
great, and perhaps the greatest principle of physics. This is no joke.