Abstract
Thought experiments are described in which the one-way velocity of light appears as a physical quantity. A rotating shaft is used to define distant synchrony for a system of clocks along the shaft. In this context Einstein's definition of distant simultaneity is seen as based on a physical assumption (and not merely on an overwhelmingly sensible choice in a range of conventional possibilities).
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Supported in part by NSF Grant GH-34598.
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Feenberg, E. Conventionality in distant simultaneity. Found Phys 4, 121–126 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00708562
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00708562