A critical examination of relativity theories

TL;DR

This paper critically compares special relativity and Newtonian frameworks at first order of v/c, showing they produce identical equations for phenomena like aberration, Fresnel dragging, and Doppler effect, in an accessible manner.

Contribution

It provides a clear, first-order comparison of relativity and Newtonian physics for key phenomena, emphasizing their mathematical equivalence at this approximation level.

Findings

Both frameworks yield identical equations for the phenomena studied.

The comparison is accessible to readers with basic calculus knowledge.

Highlights the first-order equivalence of special relativity and Newtonian physics.

Abstract

We give a brief critical examination of the special theory of relativity and a similar Newtonian framework to the first order of the $v/c$ ratio, focusing on the phenomena of aberration, Fresnel dragging, and the Doppler effect. We will show that both frameworks yield the same equations modeling these phenomena up to first order. We do this at a level understandable to anyone with a working knowledge of calculus so that the underlying ideas do not get lost in abstruse mathematical formulations.