Special Relativity from the Dynamical Viewpoint

TL;DR

This paper advocates for understanding special relativity through a mechanistic perspective, emphasizing the connection with wave physics to make relativistic effects more intuitive.

Contribution

It extends arguments for a dynamical, mechanistic interpretation of special relativity, linking it to fundamental physical mechanisms and wave phenomena.

Findings

Relativistic effects can be explained through wave-based mechanisms.

A catalog of generic mechanisms illustrates the dynamical viewpoint.

The approach aims to make special relativity more intuitive and physically grounded.

Abstract

Arguments are reviewed and extended in favor of presenting special relativity at least in part from a more mechanistic point of view. A number of generic mechanisms are catalogued and illustrated with the goal of making relativistic effects seem more natural by connecting with more elementary aspects of physics, particularly the physics of waves.