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A re-evaluation of the nature of light in view of the variable nature of time suggests that the speed of light varies as a function of the clock rate in the area through which it is traveling. This is suggested by the thought experiment presented in the introduction and the Maxwell equations. It would also appear that light otherwise essentially follows the same physical laws as any other physical entity. From this it follows that the velocity of the source of a photon is imparted to the photon, with the caveat that the forward speed of the photon is consistent with the clock rate. These properties of light are shown to be consistent with observations and experimental data in several important situations. Interpretations of many physical events have generally been based upon the assumption that the speed of light does not vary. The view that the speed of light does vary will undoubtedly require some adjustment of these interpretations. For instance, the necessity of assuming that the space metric varies is not necessary if the speed of light is considered to be a variable factor.
The observation of wavelength shifts for light reaching earth from distant stars appears to be observational support for the hypothesis that the speed of light does vary since the usual explanation based upon the Doppler Effect with respect to light does not appear to be correct. Experimental evidence of the variable speed of light may be provided by using an interferometer arrangement such as used in the Michelson and Morley experiment, but with the rotation being on a horizontal axis rather than the vertical axis. Experiments were suggested to test the possibility that the velocity of a light source is imparted to emitted photons by observing the ‘photon shift’ as it is called in this discussion.
Some of the basic ideas and principles of physical behavior were developed prior to the discovery that the time basis against which physical events are measured could be variable. Some of the conclusions reached when considering the behavior of light suggest that some of these basic principles and ideas need to be re-evaluated with respect to variable clock rates, and the resultant relationships to both inter- and intra-system measurements. For instance, it appears that the energy content of a physical entity may depend upon the location of the entity as well as the location from which that energy is measured (insofar as the location determines the local clock rate). The value of some physical constants may also depend upon the location of the entity as well as the observer.
