Recent content by imcurious

In a perfectly elastic collision, yes I can see that the result would be the same regardless of which is considered to be at rest, but in a real workd oartially elastic collision like I described above, some energy of the collision will be absorbed by the car and the truck resulting in damage...

My understanding of relativity is that if two masses are in constant motion relative to each other, either one of them could be considered at rest with the other moving and it makes no difference which. However thinking about a collision between a big truck and a small car makes me wonder about...

I believe I understand what you all are trying to impart, which is that sound travels at a certain velocity through its medium regardless of the motion of the source or observer, and light works the same way without the medium. I still wonder though, other than the De Sitter double star...

Actually what George says is in total agreement with intuition, once sound leaves the speaker, or water leaves the hose, the motion of the speaker or hose no longer has any effect on it, but this does not necessarily put any constraint on its speed relative to an observer. If the hose is...

Though I don't quite understand the "by definition" part, what I was referring to is what Harald mentioned above, except that it seems that if I were moving toward the source, the closing speed of the light would be (c+v), and if I were moving away from the source, the closing speed relative...

George - Thank you for the information. The "One-way speed of light" led tp some interesting reading. I note that most experiments have only verified the "two way" or roiund trip velocity of light which is really just its velocity relative to its source. The success of the relativity equations...

Although I do have a degree in chemical engineering, I am studying relativity/cosmology on a beginning level just as a hobby. I'm currently attempting to wade through Einstein's relativity equations. However I remain troubled by the underpinning of the whole thing - the constancy of the speed of...