The “tests of relativity” are repeated in every physics textbook, as if they could only mean one thing: that time and space can bend and stretch. However, upon closer examination of the details, a different picture emerges. Part 2 is a re-examination of the most famous “proofs” of relativity.
The Precession of Mercury's Orbit
Einstein’s Claim
Mercury’s orbit shifts slightly more than Newton’s gravity predicts. Einstein declared this extra precession was due to spacetime curvature near the Sun, and this became one of the earliest and most celebrated victories of General Relativity.
What Really Happens
Clocks in Earth's gravity can not accurately measure the speed or duration of motion in different environments, because our clocks tick in Earth's gravitational field. The primary difference between Newton and Einstein lies in the fact that a clock is affected by gravity, necessitating the need to account for the clock's time dilation. Thus, one second of accelerated motion of Mercury near the sun happens in less time than what our clocks measure from Earth. The forces of nature can explain everything without using relativity.
Why It Matters
By attributing Mercury’s precession to curved spacetime, Einstein converted a physical phenomenon into a mathematical one. The success of his theory rested not on uncovering a new truth about time, but on deriving equations to match a known value. Earth-based clocks can't measure the rate of time happening in other environments.
Gravitational Forces and Redshift
Einstein’s Claim
Light escaping a gravitational field uses energy, becoming redder in color. Einstein argued that this meant photons lost energy as they climbed out of a gravitational well. Moreover, clocks run slower in stronger gravity, so time is altered by gravitational potential.
What Really Happens
Photons change frequencies not because time slows, but because their environment changes. Atoms experiencing a stronger gravity oscillate at slower rates and emit photons of lower frequencies. That means clocks in various locations will not agree, because the difference comes from the behavior of matter, not time. The redshift of light is simply the result of energy conditions in the star, not a distortion of time itself.
Another example is the so-called Doppler effect, which only affects physical particles such as sound waves in air, but shouldn't affect quantum particles of light.
Why It Matters
The energy of gravity and gravitational redshift is presented as “proof of time dilation.” But time never changes; only matter and energy do. The redshift actually supports the view that clocks and matter are relative to their environment, while the rate of time itself remains constant.
Muon Decay Lifetime
Einstein’s Claim
Muons, short-lived particles formed in Earth’s upper atmosphere, should decay before reaching the ground. Yet many survive to be detected at the surface. Relativity claims this is because time slows down for muons moving near the speed of light, allowing them to “live longer.”
What Really Happens
Muons do not survive longer because time slows. The half-life of muons is measured on Earth using clocks that tick in Earth's gravity. However, muons passing through Earth’s atmosphere experience magnetic fields and layers of energy, which delay their decay rates. The extended lifetime is primarily due to acceleration through the atmosphere, which causes its frequency to slow down, thereby increasing its life. It's similar to GPS clocks slowing down by acceleration, but it's not a mystical stretching of time itself.
Why It Matters
Physics textbooks cite muons as the simplest example of time dilation. But what survives to the ground is not a particle blessed with extra time; it's a particle modified by the different environment it passes through. The fact is that clocks and matter slow down their frequency due to gravity, but clocks don't create time; they simply show the time. When students are told this is proof that time itself slows, they are being taught Einstein's interpretation instead of universal energy effects.
GPS Clocks
Relativity's Claim
GPS satellites carry atomic clocks. Einstein’s relativity predicts that the clocks run slightly faster in weaker gravity and somewhat slower due to orbital acceleration. Engineers apply relativity corrections, and the system works. This is known as “real-world proof” that relativity is valid.
What Really Happens
Clocks in orbit tick differently because they are in a different environment. They experience weaker gravity, acceleration, and less atmospheric shielding. Atomic oscillations respond to these conditions, so their “ticks” drift relative to Earth-bound clocks. The corrections applied are not proof that time is relative; they are engineering adjustments to keep clocks synchronized across environments.
Why It Matters
GPS is not a triumph of relativity. It's a triumph of engineering. The system works because scientists understand that clocks respond to their surroundings, not because spacetime dictates how time runs. GPS is proof that clocks are relative to physical forces. Don't confuse the practical adjustment of clocks as proof that time itself is relative to frames of reference.
The Pattern Emerges
Look at these cases side by side. Simultaneity of Relativity, Mercury’s orbit, gravitational redshift, muon lifetimes, and GPS clocks. Each is cited as evidence that time and space are flexible. Yet in every case, a physical explanation exists that requires no time dilation or warped space. Gravitational fields, atomic frequencies, and particle interactions explain the observations.
Relativity succeeds not by revealing new physics, but by framing mathematics around effects that physical science already accounts for. Upon examining these proofs of relativity, we must conclude that time doesn't change, slow, or stretch; instead, it's the clocks, particles, and fields that change.
I submitted a mathematical paper with proof of my hypothesis to APS magazine, and they replied that "APS will never publish my claims in any of their magazines."
I fully understand why. It means all the textbooks written for teachers and articles published worldwide need to be updated or corrected. The expense alone is astronomical, but the idea that scientists have been wrong is unbearable. At another time in history, I would have been arrested and imprisoned for life. Have we learned anything from history? Who is responsible for controlling the masses and the economy? Thank you for your time and consideration. Will we ever know the truth that lives behind closed doors?