On a Heuristic Point of View Concerning the Mechanics and Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies

Abstract

The aspiration to clarify and visualize Einstein’s interpretation of the notion of simultaneity and relativistic understanding of length and time interval measurements led to the development of a model in which light pulses were replaced by sound signals. The model revealed the essence of Einstein’s mathematical constructs and the mechanism for origination of relativistic effects. Moreover, its consistent application produced novel results in particular, constructing a relativity theory based on derivation of its fundamentals out of a thought experiment. Using this approach, the ex-perimentally observed independence of the speed of light from the motion of source and observer was a necessary consequence of the finiteness of propagation speed for all kinds of in-formation. The paper provides a rationale for the logical framework formulated in article [1], and describes the experimental device built to validate the predictions of the theory and the results obtained.