Abstract
In this note I briefly discuss some aspects of relative geometric simultaneity in special relativity. After saying a few words about the status and nature of Minkowski spacetime in special relativity, I recall a uniqueness result due to David Malament concerning simultaneity relative to an inertial worldline and an extension of it due to Mark Hogarth and I prove an extension of it for simultaneity relative to an inertial frame in time-oriented spacetimes. Then I point out that the uniqueness results do not generalise to definitions of simultaneity relative to the rotating disk. Finally, I evaluate some recent claims of Selleri in the light of the results. Whilst some of his claims are supported by the approach taken here, the conclusion he draws from these claims, that special relativity harbours a discontinuity and so stands in need of replacement, does not follow and is rejected.
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Budden, T. Geometric Simultaneity and the Continuity of Special Relativity. Found Phys Lett 11, 343–357 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022176907790
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022176907790