>> Gauge transformations in physical theories can lead to possibly unpalatable conclusions if you believe a certain way.
This sounds very interesting. Could you provide some examples?
This sounds very interesting. Could you provide some examples?
The short of it is that lots of physical observables in nature are derivatives of things. So if the underlying thing contains a constant term, it goes away. Because it goes away, you are free to choose it however you like and still get the same observable result.
So the question then becomes how real you believe those underlying objects are. The linked article constructs a set up to challenge that.
So that's kind of the question: can things like derivatives be the structure of space time or must they be arising from some underlying thing? Since the underlying thug involves some arbitrary, unobservable choice... it's a bit challenging.
It struck me as a bit odd, because hey, where's the change happening? But ultimately it was just a convenience, and maybe it had some underlying meaning in the original context, and maybe it didn't.