The logic of modern physicsBridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams)
Philosophy
The logic of modern physics
Bridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams)
Physics -- Philosophy
Let us now inquire how our physical structure might be affected if we
should give up the identification of light with a thing travelling. One
consequence is that light need no longer be thought of as having the
property of velocity, since velocity, in terms of immediate experience,
is a property of things moving from place to place. Giving up the
concept of light as a thing travelling would enable us, then, to adopt
an alternative method of describing nature with a different concept of
velocity; we have seen that it is possible to define velocity in terms
of operations different from the usual ones, in such a way as to give
the usual numerical results at small velocities, but different results
at high velocities, and in particular to give an infinite velocity for
light.[26]
[Footnote 26: No difficulty arises from the asymmetric character of
light in assigning an infinite velocity to light because those physical
operations by which we discover which is the source and which the sink
are entirely distinct from the operations by which a velocity is
measured; or in other words, even in the limit, it still has meaning to
say that an infinite velocity has a direction associated with it.]
There is now no objection to an infinite number associated with light,
if we no longer think of light as having physical velocity. We may, if
we like, continue for the sake of convenience to talk of the velocity of
light, clearly understanding that the infinite value which must be
ascribed to this velocity corresponds to the fact that the physical
concept of velocity does not apply in all respects to light. We should
now have to revise our process for extending the time concept over
space, because this was formerly so done as to give light a finite
velocity. We are now to make this velocity infinite, which is obviously
to be done simply by setting a distant clock on zero at the instant it
receives a light signal flashed from our clock at its zero. The behavior
of material things now takes on a simple aspect--there is no longer a
finite upper limit to the velocity that can be given a material thing,
and light has no longer the paradoxical property of bearing the same
finite relation to each of two material systems which differ from each
other by a finite amount (that is, the first postulate of relativity
that the velocity of light is 3 x 10^10 in all reference systems). Light
instead now bears the relation of infinitude to each of two systems
which differ from each other by only a finite amount, and this is
natural from the mathematical point of view.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account