Version 1
: Received: 3 August 2023 / Approved: 4 August 2023 / Online: 7 August 2023 (11:47:33 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 30 October 2023 / Approved: 31 October 2023 / Online: 31 October 2023 (10:32:32 CET)
How to cite:
D'Abramo, G. Troubles With Gravitational Frequency Shift Derived From Energy Conservation. Preprints2023, 2023080531. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0531.v1
D'Abramo, G. Troubles With Gravitational Frequency Shift Derived From Energy Conservation. Preprints 2023, 2023080531. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0531.v1
D'Abramo, G. Troubles With Gravitational Frequency Shift Derived From Energy Conservation. Preprints2023, 2023080531. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0531.v1
APA Style
D'Abramo, G. (2023). Troubles With Gravitational Frequency Shift Derived From Energy Conservation. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0531.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
D'Abramo, G. 2023 "Troubles With Gravitational Frequency Shift Derived From Energy Conservation" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0531.v1
Abstract
In physics, thought experiments are impressive heuristic tools. They are valuable instruments to help scientists find new results and to teach students the known ones. However, as we shall show, they should always be received with prudence, even when they are a shortcut to 'prove' well-established results. Here, we show that the most widely known thought experiments devised to derive the gravitational frequency shift from energy conservation are, in fact, problematic. Unfortunately, even some criticism of them found in the literature seems to share a similar fate. When properly set and correctly read, those thought experiments reveal that the existence of the gravitational frequency shift is, in fact, at odds with energy conservation. However, in light of the well-known experimental proofs of the gravitational redshift, our findings cannot be considered a confutation of the phenomenon. Nonetheless, our results may be of some epistemological interest and could serve as a warning sign on how thought experiments should be received and trusted.
Keywords
special relativity; general relativity; gravitational fre- quency shift; conservation of energy; thought experiments; history and philosophy of physics
Subject
Physical Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
