Eric Baird

Publications

• Alt.Fractals: A visual guide to fractal geometry and design

  Eric Baird

  01/2011; Chocolate Tree Books.

  ISBN: 0955706831

• Relativity in Curved Spacetime

  Eric Baird

  1st 01/2007; Chocolate Tree Books.

  ISBN: 0955706807

• Newton's aether model

  Eric Baird

  12/2000;

  Isaac Newton is usually associated with the idea of absolute space and time, and with ballistic light-corpuscle arguments. However, Newton was also a proponent of wave/particle duality, and published a "new" variable-density aether model in which light and matter trajectories were either b... [more] Isaac Newton is usually associated with the idea of absolute space and time, and with ballistic light-corpuscle arguments. However, Newton was also a proponent of wave/particle duality, and published a "new" variable-density aether model in which light and matter trajectories were either bent by gravitational fields, or deflected by an aether density gradient. Newton's (flawed) aether model can be considered as an early attempt at a curved-space model of gravity.

• Transverse redshift effects without special relativity

  Eric Baird

  11/2000;

  Transverse redshift effects are sometimes presented as being unique to special relativity (the "transverse Doppler effect"). We argue that if the detector is aimed at 90 degrees in the laboratory frame, most theories will predict a redshifted frequency at the detector, although these predi... [more] Transverse redshift effects are sometimes presented as being unique to special relativity (the "transverse Doppler effect"). We argue that if the detector is aimed at 90 degrees in the laboratory frame, most theories will predict a redshifted frequency at the detector, although these predictions can be concealed by specifying that angles should be defined in a frame /other/ than the laboratory frame. These redshifts are often stronger than special relativity's predictions. We list some of the situations in which lab-transverse redshifts would be expected.

• Two exact derivations of the mass/energy relationship, E=mc^2

  Eric Baird

  10/2000;

  The E=mc^2 relationship is not unique to special relativity. Einstein published one exact derivation from special relativity and two approximate derivations that used general extensions to Newtonian mechanics, and an exact derivation is also possible if we use a "first-order" Doppler equat... [more] The E=mc^2 relationship is not unique to special relativity. Einstein published one exact derivation from special relativity and two approximate derivations that used general extensions to Newtonian mechanics, and an exact derivation is also possible if we use a "first-order" Doppler equation instead of special relativity's "relativistic Doppler" formula. We present two sample derivations based on different non-transverse Doppler relationships, and briefly look at the two diverging systems of physics that result.

• Warp drives, wavefronts and superluminality

  Eric Baird

  05/1999;

  Coule's primary objection to the Alcubierre "warpdrive" is that the material producing the warp field needs to be superluminal. This difficulty is solved by placing the drive material inside its own warp field (making the drive system part of the payload), but we then have to deal with... [more] Coule's primary objection to the Alcubierre "warpdrive" is that the material producing the warp field needs to be superluminal. This difficulty is solved by placing the drive material inside its own warp field (making the drive system part of the payload), but we then have to deal with Low's related objection, that there is then a restricted rate at which this "naked" warp-field can propagate through the background metric. We argue that the propagation of this sort of gravitational wave is not a trivial problem, and that the possibility of ultrafast warpfield propagation should not be dismissed without further research.

• Hyper-fast travel without negative energy

  Eric Baird

  04/1999;

  Olum (PRL 81 3567-3570, 1998) has defined "superluminality" as the ability of a signal path to carry information faster than any neighbouring signal path, and has suggested that this requires a negative energy-density. However, this condition can be created without exotic matter if we are ... [more] Olum (PRL 81 3567-3570, 1998) has defined "superluminality" as the ability of a signal path to carry information faster than any neighbouring signal path, and has suggested that this requires a negative energy-density. However, this condition can be created without exotic matter if we are only sending information along the delivery path in one particular direction, and restrict ourselves to experiments that do not involve the speed of any counterpropagating or return-trip signals. Although negative energy-densities may be required for enhanced transit speeds in both directions along a single path at the same time, a traveller will normally not need (or want!) to travel in two opposing directions at once, so the condition of bidirectionality that gives rise to the negative energy condition may be unnecessarily restrictive.

• Superluminality and Pair-Production

  Eric Baird

  08/1998;

  When an information-carrying lightbeam is (legally) swept across a surface at more than c, simple signal-propagation arguments allow the observed behavior of the moving image (or "sprite") to include time-reversal and pair-production effects. A pair-production description also arises if we... [more] When an information-carrying lightbeam is (legally) swept across a surface at more than c, simple signal-propagation arguments allow the observed behavior of the moving image (or "sprite") to include time-reversal and pair-production effects. A pair-production description also arises if we try to impose some common assumptions of general relativity onto the physics of an indirectly-radiating Eighteenth-Century "dark star". This result seems suspiciously similar to the modern concept of "Hawking radiation".

• Aberration and Special Relativity

  Eric Baird

  07/1998;

  Section 7 of Einstein's 1905 electrodynamics paper gives frequency-shift and aberration formulae that together describe an elongated ellipsoidal wavefront. A Lorentz contraction of this ellipsoid solves most (but not all) of the associated relativistic problems.... [more] Section 7 of Einstein's 1905 electrodynamics paper gives frequency-shift and aberration formulae that together describe an elongated ellipsoidal wavefront. A Lorentz contraction of this ellipsoid solves most (but not all) of the associated relativistic problems.

• Relativity in Curved Spacetime : Life without Special Relativity / E. Baird.

  Eric Baird

  Contenido: Parte I Repaso de física: 1) La velocidad del la luz; 2) Gravedad, energía y masa; 3) Espacio y tiempo curvos; 4) Relatividad; 5) Catástrofe newtoniana. -- Parte II Doble efecto en movimiento relativo: 6) Cambios dopler; 7) Aparente cambio de longitud en cuerpos en movimiento; 8) Aberraci... [more] Contenido: Parte I Repaso de física: 1) La velocidad del la luz; 2) Gravedad, energía y masa; 3) Espacio y tiempo curvos; 4) Relatividad; 5) Catástrofe newtoniana. -- Parte II Doble efecto en movimiento relativo: 6) Cambios dopler; 7) Aparente cambio de longitud en cuerpos en movimiento; 8) Aberración de ángulos; 9) Arrastre de luz de los cuerpos en movimiento. -- Parte III Límites de observación: 10) Mecánica cuántica y observabilidad; 11) Estrellas oscuras y agujeros negros. -- Parte IV Actualizaciones teóricas estándar: 12) ¿Qué tiene de erróneo la Relatividad General?; 13) Matemáticas horribles. -- Parte V Espacio-tiempo plano y Relatividad Especial: 14) Teoría de la Relatividad Especial de Einstein; 15) Y, que hay de erróneo en la Teoría Especial; 16) Evidencia experimental de la Relatividad Especial. -- Parte VI Física del futuro: 17) Cosmologías; 18) Problemas de agujeros de gusano; 19) Ingeniería métrica y trama de unidades. -- Parte VII El factor humano: 20) Limitaciones del lenguaje y procedimiento; 21) Peligros de la experimentación; 22) Conclusiones. Parte VIII Cálculos, referencias e índice.