Special relativity question. (1 Viewer)

echelon4

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HI i have a little question about special relativity. I've been reading about that example of a train going at the speed of light, a person using a mirror inside the train and a person standing outside the train. I realise that since the speed of light stays constant, only time and distance can change. But my question is, why is light constant? I'm just wondering why the light on the train couldn't travel twice the speed of light??

Thanks in advanced
 

zeropoint

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The principle of relativity states that the laws of physics are the same in any inertial frame of reference. Since Maxwell had shown that the speed of light was embedded in the laws of electromagnetism, it follows that the speed of light in any inertial frame is identical.
 

xxPanDa

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i have another question

"according to the aether model, if scientist set up experiment to measure speed of light from back of train to front, and it turned out tat light was slower than it should be, train must be moving into the aether"

i dont undestand how light could be measured slower and what does it mean to "move into aether"?!?!?

if u could draw a pic it would be nice^^, if not, dw
 

simbim21

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i think the question means that it is moving into the ether wind. if so, light will travel slower as it will be slightly pushed back by the ether wind (like when you're walking through strong winds you have to force yourself through).
 

sasquatch

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Maybe this could help...

The Principle of Relativity: All steady motion is relative and cannot be detected without reference to an outside frame. Or in other words, It is not possible to tell whether you are moving at a constant velocity, or stationary without reference to an outside frame.

Consider the question, "If i was in a train moving at the speed of light, would i be able to see my own reflection."

If the aether model was correct, the answer would be No. This is due to the fact that the light would never be able to catch up to the mirror to return as a reflection (the speed of light being constant meaning it could not travel any faster than the train). But this places a contradiction on the law outlined above. If the person inside the train was not able to see their reflection, they would then know that they are moving.

Without violating the principle of relativity, it could be said that the person inside the train would see their reflection, and that a person from the outside would see the light ray travelling at 2c. Einstein suggested that instead, the light ray would travel at a constant c, and that speed and distance become relative to which frame of reference they are viewed from (demonstrated in Einstein's other thought experiments).
 

mrbigglesworth

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Why does Eintein's law of special relativity hold particular relevence to future space travel?
 

Mountain.Dew

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mrbigglesworth said:
Why does Eintein's law of special relativity hold particular relevence to future space travel?
because if we want to make future space travel feasible, since they are so far away, we need spacecrafts to travel as fast as possible from place to place, for it to be economically viable for transportation and exploration. however, because of relativity, we cannot reach the speed of light, and because of mass dilation, the spacecraft will become heavier (to the outside frame of reference) as it travels near the speed of light, therefore needing more acceleration = more gases = more money = many economic problems arise.

i think thats the main jist of it.
 

lfc_reds2003

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as mentioned.... to further develop our understanding of space we need to venture as far throughout space as is possible... to achieve this speeeds close to that of light are required... but as we are aware travelling at these speeds incurs some strange side-effects...:
time dilation
lenght contraction
mass dilation

time dilation: the time on the space ship will run differently to time on earth... a person on earth would perceive the astronauts time as running slower than earth time.
length contraction: travelling at such high speeds causes lengths to contract.... this alters the distance required to reach certain planets and so travelling at near light speeds will reduce travel distances to surrounding stars/planets etc
mass dilation: the mass of the space ship will increase as its speed nears light speed...(no object trabelling less than c can ever reach this speed )
thus the spaceship will require a greater thrust to accelerate and so there are energy issues that must be considered
 

mrbigglesworth

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thanx for that guys. 1 more question. What evidence is there that indicates to astronomers that the universe obeys the same laws of science as we see here on earth? Is that something to do with the planetary shift, or wha?
 

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