Relativistic Transformation Equations
Walter Babin
Keywords: Lorentz, Einstein, Aether, Frame of reference, Lightspeed
The Lorentz transformation equations were developed to retain an absolute frame of reference (the aether) while incorporating the null results of the Michelson-Morley experiment. The Einstein interpretation dispensed with the aether. However, the two theories are equivalent since according to the Lorentz interpretation, there is no method one can use to identify an absolute frame of reference if it indeed exists.
Both theories employed the dilation of time and the contraction of space. This was principally a mathematical exercise that disregarded the physical and logical consequences involved in maintaining a constant velocity for light.
