[D.A.Peel]

Have a look and tell me what you think. Go to link.- Special Theory of Everything.

[neutralino]

I'm sure that this theory has been thought of before, but it violates special relativity. There are a few things in the first couple of pages of your theory that suggest to me that you should review your knowledge of special relativity.

However, firstly, I'd like to address a point in your blog: you say that tachyons conflict with causality, but they don't! A tachyon is defined as a "particle" that always travels at a speed greater than the speed of light; that is, it cannot break through the speed of light boundary, just like any other particle in special relativity. It may have weird properties, but it does not violate causality.

In your photon in a box experiment* you describe light taking longer to travel a longer distance, than a shorter distance. However, this has been proven by Michelson and Morely, and by many other experiments since, to not be true: a photon travels at the speed of light as measured in all intertial frames.

Finally, you talk about the box travelling at the speed of light. According to special relativity, this cannot happen: a massive body can never travel at the speed of light.

*I know you call it a make believe particle moving at the speed of light but, in essence, this is a photon.

If I've read your theory wrong, then feel free to correct my comments.

[D.A.Peel]

Hello neutralino. Thank you for your criticisms. The boxed particle clock illustrates a thought experiment. Its only meant to be taken seriously in that it demonstrates what would happen should it be possible to carry out such an experiment, with such a clock, given that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. For the sake of making it easy to imagine I could have used a make believe tennis ball. I deal with length contraction and mass increases in part 2.

Secondly, where do I say that tachyons violate causality?

a massive body can never travel at the speed of light.

Nothing with any mass at all can travel at or faster than the speed of light.

In your photon in a box experiment* you describe light taking longer to travel a longer distance, than a shorter distance. However, this has been proven by Michelson and Morely, and by many other experiments since, to not be true:

Light takes approximately 8 minutes to travel from the sun to Earth and approximately half that time to travel half that distance.

a photon travels at the speed of light as measured in all inertial frames.

But what does that have to do with light taking longer to travel to one place than another?
Got to go now.

[neutralino]

Originally Posted by D.A.Peel Secondly, where do I say that tachyons violate causality?

In the statement in your blog about the story your father told you about someone leaving earth and coming back before you left, then saying that you find it hard that people can take tachyons seriously. I took this as an implicit comment that tardyons violate causality. Is that not what you meant?

Nothing with any mass at all can travel at or faster than the speed of light.

That's not technically true. Tardyons do not need to be massless; they can have imaginary mass, but it does not have to be zero.

Light takes approximately 8 minutes to travel from the sun to Earth and approximately half that time to travel half that distance.

Point taken. Your box must be pretty long though!

But what does that have to do with light taking longer to travel to one place than another?

Nothing. I read your theory incorrectly, sorry. I'll have another, proper, read of it and try to give some constructive criticism.

[D.A.Peel]

Thank you neutralino. I would much appreciate constructive criticism. Try not to be put off by the apparent simplicity of the concept I offer with the clock. It offers a very realistic view of physical time, how and why it becomes dilated. Imagine that you are stood next to the clock as it hits the speed of light. You would not be able to stretch out an arm or move in any way. To do so would require greater than light speed ability. Even thought process's cease as it would require an electrical impulse within your brain to travel faster than the speed of light. Time dilation is what happens when you set a Universal speed limit, c.

What did I mean with the Tachyon? Imagine the box is traveling at the speed of light. We take the particle out of the box and replace it with a faster than light speed particle, the clock starts ticking, but in what direction?

We race a Tachyon with a Photon there head to head at the start and there off. Tell me will the Tachyon simply get to the finish before the Photon or will it get to the finish before it left?

I had never heard of the term Tardyon and I was surprised when I couldn't find it in my physics dictionary, but I did manage to find it HERE.

I look forward to your criticisms. All the best. David