Visualizing the Postulates of the Velocity of Light
Domina Eberle Spencer
Uma Y. Shama
Keywords: Einstein's Postulates, Speed of Light
An elementary geometric construction enables one to clearly visualize and fully comprehend the differences between three postulates on the velocity of light -- those of Einstein (1905, 1907), Ritz (1908), and Moon and Spencer (1956, 1989). The universal time postulate of Moon and Spencer is the only one of these three in full agreement with a11 experiments hitherto analyzed. It displays an essential simplicity, and involves a simple method of synchronizing the clocks of two moving observers that is not possible in general for the Ritz and Einstein postulates.
