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Relativity question - effects between moving and stationary particles?

 
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Feb9-13, 01:37 AM   #1
 

Relativity question - effects between moving and stationary particles?


hey guys,
im not really a physicist (so sorry if this sounds dumb I guess) but I came on here to ask a question i was meditating on while i was out on a walk --

I have a basic understanding of special relativity (like I said i'm not a physicist though and I haven't really taken any classes in it). From what I understand according to the space time continuum when particles travel through space varying on the it detracts from the time axis on the continuum causing said particles to travel at different rates through time detracting from the overall total which is equal to the speed of light. (feel free to correct me if im wrong I wont be offended) --

my question is - what effect does this have on nearby particles? Do the stationary particles remain unaffected by the moving particles or can the effect be propelled outward by forces such as gravity to create some sort of a space time bubble that affects everything within it?

any thoughts on the subject are greatly appreciated - I hope this doesn't sound to silly
-Andrew
 
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Feb9-13, 07:34 AM   #2
 
Hii Andrew

when any moving particle(having enough mass to change the shape of space time curve) travels then it also affect particles(having enough mass to change the shape of space time curve) nearby it.if the particles not having enough mass to change the shape of space time curve then nothing happened.
You can easily understand it by following example-
take a plastic thin sheet and bound its all 4 corner in horizontal plan so that assume it as space time curve.put a heavy ball at its centre.take an another ball heavier than first and through it smoothly on sheet nearby first ball.u will see that first ball get attracted to second ball.....
 
Feb11-13, 08:55 AM   #3
 
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Feb11-13, 09:54 AM   #4
 
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Relativity question - effects between moving and stationary particles?


Quote by xxYOUKNOWMExx View Post
From what I understand according to the space time continuum when particles travel through space varying on the it detracts from the time axis on the continuum causing said particles to travel at different rates through time detracting from the overall total which is equal to the speed of light.
This is one way of looking at it, but it's not the best one, IMO. Some things to keep in mind: motion is relative, so a particle that is moving through space according to one observer could be at rest, not moving at all, according to another observer. "Traveling at different rates through time" is also relative. So you have to be careful drawing inferences from statements like the ones you've made; they're not wrong, but they don't necessarily lead to good further inferences.

Quote by xxYOUKNOWMExx View Post
my question is - what effect does this have on nearby particles?
Relativity by itself can't answer this; you have to know what kind of particles you're dealing with, and you need a theory of how those particles interact. Any such theory has to be consistent with relativity, but it's still an additional theory.
 
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