The Continuing Appeal of Einstein's Relativity
Harry E. Mongold
Einstein's special theory of relativity is often attacked on the basis that relative motion cannot provide a standard of rest for the theory's claim that motion slows clocks and shortens in the forward direction. In spite of the plausibility of these complaints, "relativity" is widely held in high regard. The principle reason for this may be the failure to distinguish between the Lorentz formulae and Einstein's theory involving them. Reports of test experiments avoid Einstein's attention to motion as the effective force of change; treatises emphasize his deductions rather than his logic.
