E7.2 - Einstein’s Constant Light Speed Postulate Requires Time To Be Measured With Special Clocks

Relying on Einstein's 1905 special relativity paper, Joe Sorge walks us through Einstein's convention for measuring time. Clocks that are synchronized according to Einstein’s 1905 convention will report different readings depending on their locations along the axis of motion (clock offset). These differences in clock readings will “augment computed elapsed time” for travel antiparallel to the direction of reference frame motion, and will “decrease computed elapsed time” for travel parallel to the direction of reference frame motion. These adjustments to the measurement of elapsed time are critical to maintaining special relativity’s illusion that light travels at a constant speed in all inertial reference frames. Contrary to popular belief, if clocks instead are “synchronized absolutely”, as are the earth-based atomic clocks that keep track of time internationally, and as are used in GPS navigation systems, light speed as measured with such clocks is not constant in all directions.

#Veritasium #PBSSpaceTime #Einstein #TheRoyalInstitution #LightSpeed

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