Groups > sci.physics.relativity > #660930

Division by zero

From	Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de>
Newsgroups	sci.physics.relativity
Subject	Division by zero
Date	2025-02-01 09:14 +0100
Message-ID	<m063e7FhjrnU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)

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Hi NG

I'm actually not really certain, but found an error in Einstein's 'On 
the electrodynamics of moving bodies' which is quite serious.


See page six, roughly in the middle:

There we find an equation, which says this:

∂τ/∂y= 0

Now, 'tau' is a time belonging to the moving system k.

This system k moves along the x-axis of system K with velocity v, while 
x- and xsi-axis coincide and etha- and y axis remain parallel.

In other words v_y is permanently zero, or: ∂y=0.

So we have a 'divide by zero' case.

∂τ/∂y is a time value divided by a space value, hence has the form of 1/v.

Because it contains ∂y, the velocity along the y-axis was meant.

But for a straight lateral movement along the x-axis (only) there should 
be no movement along the y axis, hence ∂y remains zero, because the 
y-coordinate remains permanently zero, which is, of course, a constant 
value.


∂τ/∂y could approach a value, however, but if v_y goes to zero, the 
quotient ∂τ/∂y would go to infinity and NOT to zero (as the equation says).

Iow: this equation '∂τ/∂y= 0' is wrong!

TH

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Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-01 09:14 +0100
  Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-01 11:36 +0200
    Re: Division by zero Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2025-02-01 18:19 -0800
      Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-02 07:58 +0100
        Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-02 11:40 +0200
          Re: Division by zero "Paul.B.Andersen" <relativity@paulba.no> - 2025-02-03 12:27 +0100
        Re: Division by zero (0, 1, infinity) Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2025-02-02 07:45 -0800
    Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-02 07:52 +0100
      Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-02 09:26 +0100
        Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-02 11:38 +0200
          Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 09:14 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-03 17:20 +0200
              Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-04 08:16 +0100
                Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-05 09:48 +0200
                Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-05 10:09 +0100
      Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-02 11:30 +0200
        Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 08:56 +0100
          Re: Division by zero Athel Cornish-Bowden <me@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-03 10:02 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 11:17 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 11:17 +0100
          Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-03 17:51 +0200
            Re: Division by zero Maciej Wozniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2025-02-03 17:33 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-04 08:36 +0100
              Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-04 11:13 +0200
                Re: Division by zero Maciej Wozniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2025-02-04 11:58 +0100
                Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-05 09:32 +0100
  Re: Division by zero nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2025-02-01 23:28 +0100
    Re: Division by zero Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2025-02-01 20:26 -0800
  Re: Division by zero film.art@gmail.com (JanPB) - 2025-02-20 21:45 +0000
    Re: Division by zero The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2025-02-20 21:18 -0800

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