Why is Time Slowed Down in Motion?

The time delay of every kinematic process is the consequence of the fact that matter is built by particles that oscillate permanently with the speed of light.

There are good reasons to assume that elementary particles are built by two constituents. These constituents have no mass and orbit each other with the speed of light. If such an elementary particle is set to motion, but its constituents still have to maintain the speed of light in relation to a fixed reference frame, the orbital frequency is reduced in the way predicted by the theory of relativity. This behaviour propagates to every higher structure at motion.

This means also that for instance every clock will go slower at motion.

(Note: This page is also available as a pdf-file.)


1. The Kinematics of Basic Particles

Due to the Basic Model of Matter an elementary particle comprises two basic particles which are bound to each other so as to maintain a specific distance. These two basic particles orbit each other with the speed of light.

Consider now the situation where this configuration, which means the elementary particle, is set to motion, but its constituents, the basic particles, are still restricted to maintain exactly the speed of light. The Basic Particles will now follow a complex path in relation to the reference frame at rest. The result is, that their path will be extended and their orbital frequency reduced. Two fundamental orientations in space will be investigated in the following. Every general direction of motion can then be treated as a superposition of these orientations.


2. The Axial Motion of the Orbital Configuration

If two Basic Particles are orbiting each other and this circling configuration is as a whole set to motion along the axis with some speed v, then both Basic Particles will follow a helical path.

Figure 2.1
  The speed of the particle in relation to the reference frame at rest has always to be c. This speed is now the vector sum of the orbital speed q and the speed by external motion v. So, by the well known relation of Pythagoras, there is
    .

(2.1)
  The orbital period T which is  
    

 (2.2)
  where R is the radius of the orbit, changes to T':


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(2.3)
  As a consequence, the period is, if compared with the original period, extended by the factor of:
   

(2.4)
 


3. The Radial Motion of the Orbital Configuration

If this configuration of two Basic Particles is moved into a radial direction, the mathematics will be a bit more cumbersome, but the result is similar.

The dilation of the rotation period at a radial superposed speed will initially be demonstrated by use of a simple model. A particle/object is oscillating with the constant speed of light (c) between two points at a distance d. (Note that this is only a simplification to ease the mathematical calculation; in reality basic particles are orbiting.)

First consider a transversal oscillation. For an oscillation at a steady position the period T is as follows:
 

    
 Figure 3.1
 


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  If this constellation is now moving, the path between the points and so the period is extended as depicted below:
 


Figure 3.2
 
  Result: the period is extended by the factor of
    .

 (3.1)
 
  (This, by the way, is the same consideration as for the light clock of Dirac.)

In case of a longitudinal movement of the whole configuration, the path of the particle is extended in one direction, namely in the direction of the general movement, and shortened in the other direction.

 

   
Figure 3.3


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  To this figure: The oscillation is a sequence of a long path d1 followed by a short path d2 again followed by a long path ...
 


The result can easily be calculated by adding up the half periods T1 and T2 using the speed as seen by the moving object.
    ;




 


(3.2)


(3.3)


(3.4)
  where T is the original full period:
   

(3.5)
  So the longitudinal oscillation is dilated by a factor of γ2. But taking into account that the distance between the turning points is reduced by contraction by the factor of γ, the result also in this case is the extension of the period by a factor of γ.
   

(3.6)
  Therefore:
   

(3.7)
 

The circular motion which is supposed for the Basic Model can be decomposed into a transversal and a longitudinal component. These components are no longer movements at constant speed but follow a sinusoidal function. However, it can be shown that the calculation above is also valid for a superposition of sinusoidal oscillations, i.e. a circular movement.


4. Conclusion

Any arbitrary motion can be treated as a superposition of an axial and a radial motion which will lead to the same result. This result is always an extension of the period by the factor of γ.

As a consequence every internal motion in an object is reduced by the Lorentz factor γ when the whole object is in motion. This conforms to the time dilation in special relativity without any use of the 4-dimensional space-time.

 

NOTE:

The concept of the Basic Model of matter was initially presented at the Spring Conference of the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft) on 24 March 2000 in Dresden by Dr. Albrecht Giese,
note@ag-physics.de

 

Comments are welcome.

 

2007-12-31
 


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