Recent content by am2010

Since we're dealing with low speeds (ball at 10 mph and the train at an even lower speed) then I would use the bottom equation. Since we add the velocities using this relativistic law, isn't it correct that the platform observer sees the ball hitting the other end of the train first BEFORE the...

Lets say that a person in a moving train throws a ball in the direction of motion from one end and hits the other end of the train at 10 mph (relative to the person on the train). According to special relativity, from the perspective of a platform observer though they would see the ball having...

skeptic2, its not that I wish to combine the two (physics and law) that compels me to do physics. That kind of law infused with science never appealed to me. Instead I feel my interest in physical phenomena is growing to such an extent that its become impossible for me to ignore at this point...

Thanks G01! As I said in my most recent post I realize that to base a career switch on a history of physics course would be a deep mistake. I took a calc course in college and received a B-. I was quite young then (started college in high school) and now years later (not to sound naive) but...

I appreciate the prompt replies! GO1, as you can imagine this all seems so unsettling. I'm fairly confident that I want to go back to school for a physics degree but if my interest all turns all out to be some disillusioning fear of commitment to law school this would be financially...

PLEASE HELP! Liberal arts degree w/ an interest in physics I would like to get some feedback to gauge my interest level in physics. At the present I feel passionate about physics but as they say one can never think clearly when they're in the eye of the storm. A little background: I just...

Then how could Newtonian mechanics claim the existence of an absolute frame of reference when the Galilean tranformation gave a beautiful expression for relative velocities? Plus, what would be the reason for upholding a view of absolute space-time?

I hear the shrills of crickets in the night. Am I to assume that this explanation is correct then?

I just want to make sure I understand this correctly. Please critique: Under Galilean relativity, Newton's Law of Inertia retains the same form under any inertial frame of reference. There are relative velocities between inertial frames but its possible to determine absolute velocities under...

I know that in Newtonian mechanics an inertial frame of reference moves relative to absolute space. But why does Newtonian mechanics include the contention that two inertial reference frames move relative to each other? It seems that if you have an absolute reference frame then there is no...

Yes that is the equation it but I'd like to understand how the object is moving (in a qualititative way). What's happening when an object is moving at m/s/s? What's going on when you divide this change in velocity over seconds?

I'm can picture acceleration but when it comes to the quantity of acceleration (meters per second per second) I'm lost. I just need a simple explanation of what m/s/s means.

I mean Position-Time and Velocity-Time.

Can someone please explain this to me (please see title)? I understand how to compute it but why is this so? Thanks

There are velocity-time graph and distance-time graphs but how come I don't see any velocity-distance graphs? If you know the velocity of a particle and the distance it travels, you could derive the time it took to get there. Why don't we see such a graph? Thanks!