Richard Clark wrote:
On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:43:26 -0500, "AI4QJ" wrote:

Any gedanken experminent involving a mass with a velocity being greater than
299,792,458 meters/sec leads directly to the quantity under the square root
sign for (1 - v**2/c**2) [where c = 299,792,458 meters/sec] to become a
negative number. Impossibly absurd.

We have progressed from your statement that:
Instead, what you are arguing is NO-THING
travels faster than 299,792,458 meters per second. I will leave that
to others.
Correct. However, why don't you just leave it to Einstein who has confirmed
this, rather than leaving it to others, particularly a bunch of ham radio
operators who sometimes have their own 'theories' ;-)
to an absurdity where at the time of Einstein's theory (or in the
historical neighborhood of 1926 which I have pegged at Michaelson's
most accurate determination) that light at 299,796 kilometers per
second most certainly is a speed sufficiently in excess of the speed
of light (by later accurate determinations), and yet this present
speed proves nothing could exceed the speed of light (begging the
question, of course, which speed of which light) whereby we are
inescapably faced with the prospect of a negative number dashing one
proof of Einstein's or another (the same one?).

For those confounded by the turns in the road for a varying constant
(you have every reason to be confused): The speed of light in 1926
clearly results in a -1 solution for today's speed of light proving
that light traveled faster than the speed of light in 1926.


Einstein's equations use the speed of light in a vacuum, Michaelson
conducted his experiments in unstandardized air. c in air does change
and c(air) can be exceeded.


Imagine the egg on Einstein's face for thinking c = 299,796
kilometers per second for the identical gendanken experiment at its
inception so it appears that -1 has no particular significance rooted
in a fundamental law to be so accommodating to a wide variety of
assigned constants for the identical, immutable law of the universe.
It would only take another measurement, adding a jot to the decimal
place, to dash all other proofs which hinged upon those prior
determinations. It would be safer to simply express that NO-THING can
travel faster than some suitably buffered number with a margin added
such as 305,000,001 m/s (±3dB). Something that a greater number of
reasonably minded folk could agree with (or simply bump the number
higher to achieve consensus).

Summing it up: a negative outcome seems to be more fashion than proof
if the logic follows the historical whim of error.

So, as to your assignment to Einstein's confirmation of "this." What
"this" were you speaking of, when was "this," and which Einstein?

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC