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<blockquote data-quote="tomBitonti" data-source="post: 6706321" data-attributes="member: 13107">This statement encompasses a lot!That is, it pulls a notion that an initial frame of reference is a distinguished frame, and that physical properties such as the rate of passage of time (as measured by common physical processes, say, decay rates) will be measured as the same thing for different observers in the same initial frame, and similarly, that distances can be reliably measured (say, as a count of wavelengths of light as emitted, again, by common physical processes), and will yield a consistent result by different observers, and that these measurements will be stable over time.Then, the notion of an idealized clock must be presented as physically meaningful, even if no actual ideal clock can be made.&nbsp; And, it turns out that certain physical processes can be used to make very accurate clocks.&nbsp; As well, one must demonstrate that if a number of idealized clocks may be created, they will be shown to record the passage of time uniformly, so that any irregularities must be shared by the clocks and by the observer.&nbsp; It must also be shown that an idealized clock can be transported to various locations and remain accurate.&nbsp; (Knowing the results of the experiment, we will know that the clocks will show slightly different times after they are transported, but, they will still show the same rate of passage.)This would all seem to be overly pedantic, except that the experiment will go on to show that observers in different frames of reference will not obtain the same results, so these sorts of considerations are not outside of the realm of the experiment which is being done.Thx!TomB</blockquote>

[QUOTE="tomBitonti, post: 6706321, member: 13107"] This statement encompasses a lot! That is, it pulls a notion that an initial frame of reference is a distinguished frame, and that physical properties such as the rate of passage of time (as measured by common physical processes, say, decay rates) will be measured as the same thing for different observers in the same initial frame, and similarly, that distances can be reliably measured (say, as a count of wavelengths of light as emitted, again, by common physical processes), and will yield a consistent result by different observers, and that these measurements will be stable over time. Then, the notion of an idealized clock must be presented as physically meaningful, even if no actual ideal clock can be made. And, it turns out that certain physical processes can be used to make very accurate clocks. As well, one must demonstrate that if a number of idealized clocks may be created, they will be shown to record the passage of time uniformly, so that any irregularities must be shared by the clocks and by the observer. It must also be shown that an idealized clock can be transported to various locations and remain accurate. (Knowing the results of the experiment, we will know that the clocks will show slightly different times after they are transported, but, they will still show the same rate of passage.) This would all seem to be overly pedantic, except that the experiment will go on to show that observers in different frames of reference will not obtain the same results, so these sorts of considerations are not outside of the realm of the experiment which is being done. Thx! TomB [/QUOTE]

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