What if light clock experiment was done on top of train?

In summary: If the train had been moved to a different location and the air inside had been disturbed, then time would have passed more slowly on the platform than on the train.
  • #1
wdai03
1
0
If the light clock was on top of the train, it wouldn't be in a inertial system. If a table tennis game was played inside the train, the ball would move as if played on the platform. But it wouldn't be possible ontop of the train.
Does the light react the similarly to a table-tennis ball or is a photon too small to be affected? So would the observer on the platform see the light trail behind the train?

If the light clock theory doesn't work or is effected in some way (i'm not a brilliant scientist so i have no clue what would happen), what would happen if the train, after some time of travelling, was suddenly upgraded into a open-patio-class seating carriage i.e. the roof and walls of the train was suddenly ripped off? Will the time difference just suddenly dissappear?
 
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  • #2
wdai03 said:
If the light clock was on top of the train, it wouldn't be in a inertial system.
Why not?
If a table tennis game was played inside the train, the ball would move as if played on the platform. But it wouldn't be possible ontop of the train.
Only because there would be air rushing by. Put the same conditions on the platform (have air rushing by at the same rate) and the game would look the same.

If the light clock theory doesn't work or is effected in some way (i'm not a brilliant scientist so i have no clue what would happen), what would happen if the train, after some time of travelling, was suddenly upgraded into a open-patio-class seating carriage i.e. the roof and walls of the train was suddenly ripped off? Will the time difference just suddenly dissappear?
No. As long as the speed of the train remained the same, time measurements between train and platform would have the same relationship.
 
  • #3
Hi wdai03, welcome to PF,

I am afraid that your premise is mistaken. The top of the train is also a inertial coordinate system in every way that the interior of the train is.

I think you are confusing a frame being inertial with the air being at rest in that frame.
 

1. What is the light clock experiment?

The light clock experiment is a thought experiment used to explain the concept of time dilation in Einstein's theory of relativity. It involves a clock with two mirrors and a photon bouncing between them.

2. How does the light clock experiment relate to the train scenario?

The light clock experiment is often used to illustrate the concept of time dilation in different reference frames, such as on a moving train. In this scenario, the train is the reference frame in motion and the light clock is used to measure time.

3. What would happen if the light clock experiment was done on top of a train?

If the light clock experiment was done on top of a train moving at a constant velocity, the speed of light would remain the same for both the observer on the train and an observer on the ground. However, due to time dilation, the observer on the train would measure time passing slower compared to the observer on the ground.

4. Would the results of the light clock experiment be different on a speeding train?

Yes, the results of the light clock experiment would be different on a speeding train. The faster the train is moving, the greater the time dilation effect. This means that the observer on the train would measure time passing even slower compared to the observer on the ground.

5. How does the speed of the train affect the light clock experiment?

The speed of the train directly affects the time dilation effect in the light clock experiment. The faster the train is moving, the greater the time dilation effect and the slower time appears to pass for the observer on the train compared to the observer on the ground.

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