Relativity theory of clocks and rulers

TL;DR

This paper derives special relativity kinematics from intuitive assumptions without using light signals, introducing equivalence classes of clocks and rulers, and identifies Lorentz, Galilean, and Euclidean cases.

Contribution

It presents a novel derivation of Lorentz kinematics based on equivalence classes of measurement devices, avoiding the traditional reliance on light signals.

Findings

Lorentz kinematics emerges from simple assumptions

Three generic cases identified: Lorentz, Galilean, Euclidean

Lorentz case characterized by maximal relative speed

Abstract

Special Relativity (SR) kinematics is derived from very intuitive assumptions. Contrary to standard Einstein's derivation, no light signal is used in the construction nor it is assumed to exist. Instead we postulate the existence of two equivalence classes of physical objects: proportional clocks and proportional rulers. Simple considerations lead to Lorentz kinematics as one of three generic cases. The Lorentz case is characterized by the maximal relative speed of physical objects. The two others are the Galilean and the Euclidean cases.