A Critical Analysis of Special Relativity Theory
Ludek Nerad
Keywords: special relativity theory, Galilean transformation, velocity addition, absolute time, coordinate systems
The genesis of special relativity theory (SRT) is described briefly in both historic and scientific terms. Analysis of the theory reveals that (1) the second postulate is not a necessary consequence of the experimental data, (2) rejection of the Newtonian addition of velocities contradicts either the definition of velocity, or the addition of distances, or the notion of time as an absolute independent variable, (3) one multiplicative factor and two new variables are introduced arbitrarily, without sound justification, (4) the asymmetry of the Galileo transformation with respect to time is sacrificed, (5) and new variables are interpreted in an apparently wrong way. The theory lacks logical consistency, i.e. it lacks the basic attribute of a scientific description of the world.
