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example is the special theory of relativity—it's still called a 'theory' Will. In "Relativity and GPS",** he argues that the observed for historical reasons, but it is in reality a simple, engineering fact, effect of velocity on the GPS clocks flat out contradicts the pre- routinely used in the design of giant machines, like nuclear particle dictions of special relativity. accelerators, which always work perfectly. Another example of Hatch's proposed alternative to special and general relativity that sort of thing is the theory of evolution. These are called theory, MLET, agrees with general relativity at first order but cor- ‘theories’, but they are in reality among the best established facts in rects many astronomical anomalies that GRT cannot account for all of human knowledge." without ad hoc assumptions, such as the anomalous rotation of Isaac Asimov has stated that "no physicist who is even margin- galaxies and certain anomalies in planetary orbits. In addition, the ally sane doubts the validity of SR".” force of gravity is self-limiting in MLET, which eliminates point An article on relativity dissidents” quotes relativist Clifford singularities (black holes), one of the major shortcomings of Will of Washington University expressing a similar sentiment: GRT. One of the testable predictions of Hatch's theory is that "SR has been confirmed by experiment so many times that it LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, borders on crackpot to say there is something wrong with it. will fail to detect any sign of gravity waves. Experiments have been done to test SR explicitly. The world's particle accelerators would not work if SR wasn't in effect. The | The Michelson-Morley and Aether Drift Experiments global positioning system would not work if Relativity textbooks all contain the story of special relativity didn't work the way we how the Michelson—Morley experiment ** thought it did." supposedly proved the non-existence of a Unfortunately for the progress of physics, Hatch, a former light-carrying medium, the aether. when opinions like these reach a critical President of the Institute In this experiment, light rays were sent on mass, they become self-fulfilling prophecies. . . . round trips in different directions and then Dissent is no longer respected or even tolerat- of Navigation, is one of reunited, resulting in an interference pattern. ed. Evidenes 9 the contrary can no fonger re the world's foremost t un aether win caused the speed of rene communicated, for the journals will refuse to 0 be direction-dependent, then rotation of the publish it.” experts on the global experimental apparatus would result in a shift pathemanically and logically. the notion positioning system . this pattern Bur euch a shift tie never that a theory that has made many correct pre- etected, proving the isotropy (direction dictions must necessarily be true is untenable. (GPS). independence) of the speed of light—or so the Scientific models can produce arbitrarily story goes. many, arbitrarily good predictions and He argues that the But physical reality is more complicat- still be flawed, as the historical example ed than the foundational myth of relativi- of the Ptolemaic (geocentric) model of observed effect of ty would have us believe. An examina- the polar system shows, It does not mat- velocity on the tion or historical papers on the Subject er how many observations are consis- indicates that relativists have rewritten tent with a theory if there is only one GPS clocks flat out history. The M-M experiment of 1887 observation that is not. Ironically, rela- contradicts the found only a fraction of the effect size predictions of special relativity. tivity itself should have driven this point predicted by the stationary aether home to physicists long ago. hypothesis, thus clearly disproving it, but For centuries, Newtonian physics had the effect was emphatically not "null" led science to one triumph after another within the accuracy of the experiment. in explaining the inner workings of the Dayton C. Miller reviews the evidence natural world, and at the end of the 19th in "The Ether-Drift Experiments and the century no physicist who was "even Determination of the Absolute Motion of marginally sane" doubted its validity. the Earth" (1933)* and concludes that: After all, hadn't the validity of Newtonian physics "been con- "The brief series of observations was sufficient to show that the firmed by experiment so many times" that it "borders on crackpot effect did not have the anticipated magnitude. However, and this to say there is something wrong with it"? Didn't the operation of — fact must be emphasized, the indicated effect was not zero; the the world's steam engines prove its validity? And yet, Newtonian sensitivity of the apparatus was such that the conclusion, pub- physics loses its validity at speeds approaching the speed of light. lished in 1887, stated that the observed relative motion of the In hindsight, it is obvious why the discrepancy was never caught. Earth and ether did not exceed one-fourth of the Earth's orbital Due to the enormity of the speed of light, c, effects of the order of —_ velocity. v/c only manifest themselves in highly sophisticated experiments. This is quite different from a null effect now so frequently Similarly, even modern technology cannot easily distinguish imputed to this experiment by the writers on Relativity." between relativity and competing theories that agree with Miller then discusses the original M—M data and shows that relativity at first order of v/c but disagree at higher order. One there is a systematic effect indicating a speed of the Earth relative such competing theory is Ronald Hatch's Modified Lorentz Ether- to the aether of 8.8 km/s for the noon observations and 8.0 km/s gauge Theory (MLET).*” for the evening observations. Hatch, a former President of the Institute of Navigation and the Relativity sceptics like Miller believed that the aether may be current Director of Navigation Systems Engineering at NavCom entrained ("dragged along") by the Earth. To test this hypothesis, Technologies, is one of the world's foremost experts on the global Miller endeavoured to replicate the M—M experiment (which had positioning system (GPS). Concerning the question of whether been performed in a basement in Cleveland) at greater altitude on the operation of the GPS proves the validity of SR, he has come to Mount Wilson, where presumably there would be a stronger conclusions diametrically opposite to those reached by Clifford aether drift. After years of careful experimentation, Miller indeed Will. In "Relativity and GPS",** he argues that the observed effect of velocity on the GPS clocks flat out contradicts the pre- dictions of special relativity. Hatch's proposed alternative to special and general relativity theory, MLET, agrees with general relativity at first order but cor- rects many astronomical anomalies that GRT cannot account for without ad hoc assumptions, such as the anomalous rotation of galaxies and certain anomalies in planetary orbits. In addition, the force of gravity is self-limiting in MLET, which eliminates point singularities (black holes), one of the major shortcomings of GRT. One of the testable predictions of Hatch's theory is that LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, will fail to detect any sign of gravity waves. experts on the global positioning system (GPS). He argues that the observed effect of velocity on the GPS clocks flat out contradicts the predictions of special relativity. 54 = NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2004