Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/26/83; site ihuxr.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!microsoft!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!hocda!spanky!burl!we13!ihnp4!ihuxr!lew
From: lew@ihuxr.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: preferred frames in Relativity Theory
Message-ID: <507@ihuxr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Jul-83 15:05:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxr.507
Posted: Fri Jul 15 15:05:06 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 19-Jul-83 12:36:33 EDT
Organization: BTL Naperville, Il.
Lines: 20

This is a followup to an article which appeared in net.misc and net.religion
as part of the "Earth Centered Universe" discussion.

cca!charlie stated that, "According to relativity theory ... there is no
prefered frame of reference. This means that a stationary earth (the
universe spins around it) is as valid a model as any other."

The first statement is a misconception. Both special and general relativity
give special status to inertial frames. The special theory only deals with
a flat space-time (globally inertial frames) and the general theory shows how
to patch together LOCALLY inertial frames into a curved global frame. This is
accomplished independently of any special coordinate system. Each coordinate
system has a different metric from which it is possible to calculate the
physical (i.e. invariant) properties of the space.

It's true that an earth-centered coordinate system is as good as any other
(in general relativity) but this does not constitute a "model". The model
is provided by the theory of general relativity itself.

		Lew Mammel, Jr. ihuxr!lew