Constructive Derivation of Special Relativity from Resource Constraints

This paper derives Special Relativity (SR) as a constructive theory from a discrete, process-relational network substrate. The primary axiom is the strict conservation of local processing capacity, manifested in the universal budget equation I² + R² + C² = 1. Through a Noether inversion, the symmetries of spacetime are derived as a necessary mathematical consequence of this resource economy, which describes the competition between internal dynamics (proper time), relocation (motion), and crosstalk (system–environment coupling). Relativistic core phenomena – time dilation, length contraction, and the invariance of c – emerge immediately and without additional geometric postulates; the Minkowski interval is identified as a conservation law of process activity. A metallurgical grain model of the vacuum establishes macroscopic isotropy and resolves the tension between an ontic rest frame and epistemic Lorentz invariance. The approach makes a falsifiable prediction: a Zeno-induced breaking of Lorentz symmetry, manifested as a sidereal modulation of the decay rate of strongly monitored quantum states. Methodologically, this work transforms SR from a principle theory into a constructive theory that generates phenomena from the microstructure of the substrate – analogous to the statistical justification of thermodynamics.