"Relativistic" particle dynamics without relativity
Abstract
It is shown that the correct expressions for the momentum and kinetic energy of a particle moving at high speed were already implicit in physics going back to Maxwell. The demonstration begins with a thought experiment of Einstein by which he derived the inertial equivalence of energy, independently of the relativity postulates. A simple modification of the same experiment does the rest.
- Publication:
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American Journal of Physics
- Pub Date:
- October 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1119/1.5049812
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1512.01439
- Bibcode:
- 2018AmJPh..86..747W
- Keywords:
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- Physics - History and Philosophy of Physics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 1 figure