Relativity Question Regarding an Airliner (Light & ball movement)

In summary: Using Lorentz transformation, you can transform velocity in any1 inertial frame from any other inertial frame which is moving at some velocity wrt previous frame ...But will yes, if its no taught and the answer will have such a small difference then of course, you should use classical form,
  • #1
HarleyM
56
0

Homework Statement



Imagine that you are flying on an airliner on a long flight to Europe at a constant speed of 300 m/s

a) you throw a ball towards the back of the plane at 20 m/s. You then shine a beam of light towards the back of the plane. How will these two things-- the ball and light-- appear to move from the Earth's frame of reference

b) would you expect your watch to be affected by time dilation?


Homework Equations



Δtm = Δts/√(1-v2/c2)

The Attempt at a Solution



a) The ball moves at 300-20 = 280 m/s forward
The light moves at c-v
3x108-300=2.999997x108 Confused here, this is an inertial frame of reference so is the speed of light a constant 3x108 m/s or is 2.999997x108 correct?

b) The plane does not move fast enough for time dilation to be noticed but it is occurring. The watch would not be able to detect the significantly small change in time dilation
 
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  • #2
HarleyM said:
a) The ball moves at 300-20 = 280 m/s forward
The light moves at c-v
3x108-300=2.999997x108 Confused here, this is an inertial frame of reference so is the speed of light a constant 3x108 m/s or is 2.999997x108 correct?

Recall second postulate of STR
and for ball, you just applied classical eqn,, shouldn't you be using Lorentz transformations ?
 
  • #3
HarleyM said:
b) The plane does not move fast enough for time dilation to be noticed but it is occurring. The watch would not be able to detect the significantly small change in time dilation

Well i believe that's true !
 
  • #4
cupid.callin said:
Recall second postulate of STR
and for ball, you just applied classical eqn,, shouldn't you be using Lorentz transformations ?

second postulate states the constancy of the speed of light with regards to all inertial reference frames, therefore it moves at 3x10^8m/s I believe, and common sense fails me here.

I have no honest idea what Lorentz transformations are, it was not taught in this lesson as far as I know..
 
  • #5
HarleyM said:
I have no honest idea what Lorentz transformations are, it was not taught in this lesson as far as I know..

Using Lorentz transformation, you can transform velocity in any1 inertial frame from any other inertial frame which is moving at some velocity wrt previous frame ...
Here
 
  • #6
That just made me really confused...

we weren't taught lorentz transformations in the lesson so idk if I should use them.. they seem straightforward and when I use u=v+u'/1+(vu'/c^2) I get 320 instead of 280..

as for the light part, am I correct I mean I just learned inertial frames and non-inertial frames today so I am very unsure of myself..
 
  • #7
HarleyM said:
That just made me really confused...

we weren't taught lorentz transformations in the lesson so idk if I should use them.. they seem straightforward and when I use u=v+u'/1+(vu'/c^2) I get 320 instead of 280..

as for the light part, am I correct I mean I just learned inertial frames and non-inertial frames today so I am very unsure of myself..

In this case, you will get same answer as in case of classical mechanics because the factor [itex]\Large{\frac{vu'}{c^2}}[/itex] comes out to be ≈ -10-14 ... So if you write your answer upto 14 terms after decimal, you will see a change (pretty useless thing, i know!)

But will yes, if its no taught and the answer will have such a small difference then of course, you should use classical form,

And your first part is right that it will be c !
 

1. How does relativity affect the movement of a ball inside an airliner?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion. So, the movement of a ball inside an airliner will be the same for all passengers, regardless of their frame of reference.

2. Can the speed of light be affected by the movement of an airliner?

No, the speed of light is constant and cannot be affected by the movement of an airliner. This is a fundamental principle of relativity and has been confirmed by numerous experiments.

3. Will the light inside an airliner appear to move differently for passengers in different seats?

No, the speed of light is constant and does not depend on the observer's frame of reference. Therefore, the light inside an airliner will appear to move at the same speed for all passengers, regardless of their position in the plane.

4. How does relativity explain the time dilation experienced by passengers on a long-haul flight?

According to relativity, time is relative and can be affected by the speed of an object. As an airliner travels at high speeds, time appears to slow down for passengers on board. This is known as time dilation and is a direct consequence of the theory of relativity.

5. Can relativity explain the curved flight path of an airliner?

Yes, according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, the presence of mass can cause spacetime to curve. This explains the curved flight path of an airliner as it is affected by the Earth's gravitational pull. In the absence of any external forces, an object will follow a straight path in curved spacetime.

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