The Irrelevance of Abstract Reference Frames in Physics

In the past century, abstract mathematical reference frames have become the universal way to formulate and understand the fundamental laws of physics. Galileo's principle of relativity and Einstein's special relativity theory states that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial reference frames. The subtly hidden assumption in this statement is that the laws of physics can be formulated correctly at least in one inertial reference frame, which is shown to be wrong. In the general theory of relativity (accelerating) reference frames can even affect the laws of physics. The true laws of physics became hidden by the very idea of using reference frames as the observers. In the reference frame concept, the laws of physics are formulated as seen by the third observer, i.e. reference frame. The mystery that has eluded physicists so far is that a third observer (reference frame) is irrelevant or cannot see the true nature of electromagnetic interaction between two charges, for example. Electromagnetic and gravitational phenomena are elusive in that they do not act in the classical way expected by the third observer (reference frame). The traditional concept of reference frames was based on classical, conventional thinking and experience, such as the motion of a ball or the propagation of classical waves as seen in two relatively moving inertial frames. Einstein's special relativity theory was built upon the fallacious Galileo's reference frames. Galileo's relativity is only approximately correct and applies only to ordinary, everyday experiences and is fundamentally wrong. According to the new theory proposed in this paper, the observer is fundamentally the body or particle directly experiencing electromagnetic or gravitational fields and waves. The observer is the atom, molecule, electron or proton directly detecting or experiencing electromagnetic and gravitational fields and waves, such as the atoms in light detecting devices, the human eye or massive bodies experiencing gravitation of another body. Einstein (correctly) discovered his chasing a beam of light thought experiment. However, since physicists universally thought in terms of reference frames, this ( wrongly ) led him to the special theory of relativity. The principle of relativity should be discarded ; reference frames, whether inertial, accelerating or rotating , are irrelevant in the formulation of the fundamental laws of physics. The concept of reference frames must be abandoned altogether. The fundamental laws of physics cannot be correctly formulated in any reference frame, i.e. relative to the third 'observer' who is not directly experiencing electromagnetic or gravitational phenomena. A new way of formulating the laws of physics relative to (as seen by ) the direct observer is introduced. Newton's and Mach's views on inertia will be reconciled.