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> The difference between Newtonian physics and Special Relativity is not so much as to shake basic scientific principles to their core. But it is! Before speci
by adwn 6y ago
> The difference between Newtonian physics and Special Relativity is not so much as to shake basic scientific principles to their core.
But it is! Before special relativity, conservation of mass was thought to be a law of physics; SR refined this law to conservation of mass-energy.
- at_a_remove 6y agoBut "refinement" is the correct word to use. In the vast majority of scenarios, you can keep your conservation of mass separate from your conservation of energy. You only have to pay attention in very specific cases: fusion, fission, and relative velocities that are quite intense. This refinement, which we see again and again in physics, is "oh, sure, if you do THIS, here's a correction you can apply ... should start showing up three or four sigfigs in."
- kelnos 6y agoI think the difference here is that conservation of mass was an incomplete understanding of what was going on, and conservation of mass-energy was an evolution of the law. If the EmDrive worked, it would mean that several foundational things are just wrong. Not incomplete, just completely wrong.