There is a widespread tendency to assimilate the predictions of Lorentz Ether theory (LET) and Special Relativity (SR), such that most use to say that, since both are based on the same coordinate transformations (the Lorentz Transformations), the results of the theories are exaclty the same.

What is certainly supported by the LET is that there is a preferred frame of reference in which the speed of light is c while in SR in every reference frame the speed of light is c.

The concept of time dilation in LET and SR is totally different:

a) LET: clocks going at different speeds, run at different rates since they do not experience the same condition in relation to the common background.

b) SR: clocks going at different speeds experience different times since the time of any IRF is different from anyother and this is the base of the relativity of simultaneity.

The trajectory of light

LET: since the background is the medium which drives the light, once a EM wave is emitted in vacuo it belongs to that background.

SR: since there is no medium to drive the light, any IRF where light is emitted is a sort of medium by itself, such that the light which propagates in a certain direction keeps the normal component of speed of the IRF of emission in regards to another IRF where it was not emitted from.

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