The Frisch-Smith Time-Dilation Experiment

The fourth source is the most important with regards to speed; specifically of muons. However this is only one of two independant ways of measuring that objects do not go faster than the speed of light. I will point out that my opponents contention: Firstly, #3, the Frisch-Smith experiment explains measurements of speed and how they were determined. Once the maximum speed of mass is measured through other means, this shows as valid. However, I purposefully did not include only sources that infer speed from momentum calculations but was careful to point out sources that show seperate validation of this premise, including my fourth source, which you contend: #4 actually proves that I'm right, and muons do travel faster than c. From page 3 of my opponent's own source: The result obtained from this trial was an average speed[...] greater than the speed of light c. While this does seem to imply an overturning of Einstienian principles, before rushing to conclusions it is worth reading the rest of the source to examine it's conclusion. Fortunatley, you do not have to look that far as the line directly after this one states: "This is greater than the speed of light c. Have we really found a particle that travels faster than light? It is believed there are perhaps some systematics at play?" The section that follows immediately after this quote is entitled: 3.4.1 With Systematic Error Correction which concludes: The average speed obtained in the reverse trials was 2 cm/ns, slightly smaller than the speed of light. Thus, we obtain our result for the average speed of cosmic ray muons [of 99.4% c][1] As a result it is clear this quote is taken out of context; one where the scientist saw that there was probably a systematic error in measurement, and corrects for it. This correction then produces results consistent with an upper limit of speed for mass as c. This is often the case with scientific papers; with incorrect results that can subsequently be explained often appearing in the papers only to be systematically and scientifically corrected for. As oulined however, the equations for relativistic momentum are tested in particle accelerors. Recently there was big stir when it was thought that Neutrinos could travel faster than speed of light as discovered from pulses from the the LHC; this was found to also be an incorrect systematic measurement error.[2] If the individual tests summarised and outlined in the previous argument; including a test that shows his primarily contention of muons NOT travelling faster than the speed of light in the same conditions as the experiment are not sufficient to determine that the speed of light is not violatable, I will add the following ones: Electron speed tests. [3] Measurements of Neutrino speed [4] Another electron speed test (a different type!)[5] Relativity, specifically the speed of light is not assumed to be true, but is indeed regularly tested (as shown by [1] which was conducted recently). I am perfectly willing to accept the possibility that there are some conditions in which the speed of light could be violated if they are presented, but the ones cited do present my opponent with several issues: 1.) The cited examples show the muons being measured in the same conditions as the Frisch-Smith experiment itself are not moving faster than the speed of light. 2.) Even were we to take the original calculation of speed my opponent quotes, this "slightly greater than the speed of light" would still not be able to account for the adtional muons; which have to be travelling much greater than the speed of light to overcome the 3 mean decay lifetimes distance between the two detectors and so could not account for the difference 3.) Thus far every experiment has shown the speed of light to be the cosmic speed limit. The primary premise of my opponents argument is that the speed of light could be violated by muons. As the FS experiment assumes the speed of light not to be exceeded, measurements of muon density could be skewed by assuming the conclusion. However, as shown, relativistic effects are seperately measured and not assumed without reason. In many examples, the specific limiting factor of the speed of light, and indeed the muons being measure themselves are seperately verifiable and measurable and therefore are not simply assumed. As the conclusion is not assumed, this experiment simply validates that when taking into account physical effects that have been measured, this experiment does not rely on circular logic and so therefore succesfully measures that time dilation exists as predicted by Einstein. [1]http://web.mit.edu... [2]http://newsfeed.time.com... [3]http://www.livescience.com... [4]http://en.wikipedia.org... [5]http://journals.aps.org... [6]https://www.princeton.edu...