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Speed of Clock

 
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Feb21-12, 06:36 PM   #1
 

Speed of Clock


1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data
In the Home Frame, two events are observed to occur with a spatial separation of 12ns and a time coordination separation of 24ns.

A)An inertial clock travels between these events in such a manner as to be present at both events. What timer interval does this clock read between the events?

B)what is the speed of this clock, as measured in the Home Frame


2. Relevant equations

ΔS^2 = Δt^2 -Δd^2

3. The attempt at a solution

A) It sounds like the clock is a space-time clock so i assume i am solving for ΔS
ΔS = square root of (24^2 - 12^2) = 20.78 ns

B) For B I did speed = distance/time so i did 12ns/20.78ns to get .58 which means its speed is .58C. Multiply this by 3x10^8 m/s and i get 1.74 m/s
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Feb21-12, 09:54 PM   #2
 
Part A is good. Part B, I'm not really sure what velocity you solved for. It's a velocity that doesn't make sense. You did v=d/t', these are mixed reference frame values. You need to have your reference frames match up with their own values to get the right velocity. As such, there's a couple different formulations for the velocity. One is easy, the other will give you a sanity check and some practice.
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space time, spacetime, special relativity, time
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