Alternative Interpretation of Einstein's Light Clock Thought Experiment: Time Invariance and Metric Deformation

This thesis proposes an alternative interpretation of Einstein’s light clock thought experiment. Instead of treating the result as a physical “time dilation,” the effect is explained as a deformation of the spatial metric. The work argues that time remains universal as an operational count of elementary processes, while relativistic effects — both from relative motion and gravitation — arise from metric deformation. This interpretation aligns with the geometric foundations of relativity and provides a methodological argument against the ontologization of time in physics.