Franz-Guenter Winkler

arXiv2011

Gravitation in 4D Euclidean Space-Time Geometry

The Euclidean interpretation of special relativity which has been suggested by the author is a formulation of special relativity in ordinary 4D Euclidean space-time geometry. The natural and geometrically intuitive generalization of this view involves variations of the speed of light (depending on location and direction) and a Euclidean principle of general covariance. In this article, a gravitation model by Jan Broekaert, which implements a view of relativity theory in the spirit of Lorentz and Poincare, is reconstructed and shown to fulfill the principles of the Euclidean approach after an appropriate reinterpretation.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2005

The Normalization Problem of Special Relativity

For the special theory of relativity, the normalization problem is formulated as the question how observers in constant relative motion may reach an agreement on space and time scales. As the normalization problem does not receive a thorough treatment in the standard development of the theory, two possible solutions called normalization at rest and normalization in motion are suggested. It is shown that normalization in motion makes the validity of the Lorentz transformation the result of mere conventions. The non-conventional approach following from normalization at rest requires an assumption concerning the acceleration of objects. A conceptual distinction between inside and outside observation, together with the analysis of the normalization problem, allows us to formulate an alternative interpretation of special relativity contrasting both the standard interpretation and Lorentz-type interpretations.

physics.class-ph↗