[FOM] On foundations of special relativity

[José Félix Costa]

ABOUT Istvan's posting:

consider the following thought experience:

subject moving inside a ship at 0.99 c from earth to alpha-centauri;
when arriving to alpha-centauri then
      subject jumps instantaneously from that ship
      to another ship in the opposite direction
      moving at 0.99 c from alpha-centauri towards earth.

the instantaneous character of the jump (infinite instantaneous acceleration
at alpha-centaury) leeds to results on the twin paradox (within special
relativity) coinciding to those given by general relativity (with finite
negative / positive accelaration near destination).

my thought experience is not physical! but it is mathematicall.

can you carry out this calculation on the Twins inside your system?

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J. Felix Costa
Departamento de Matematica
Instituto Superior Tecnico
Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PORTUGAL
tel:      351 - 21 - 841 71 45
fax:     351 - 21 - 841 75 98
e-mail:   fgc at math.ist.utl.pt
www:    http://fgc.math.ist.utl.pt/jfc.htm
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