Recent content by JimiJams

Let's say me and the photon are both moving above a stationary surface. I'm not in any flying object, my body is just moving. I'm traveling .9c relative to the stationary ground, and the photon is moving c relative to the ground. There are checkmarks on the ground indicating a certain...

I was trying to create a scenario where there is no other observer than myself. Imagine I'm on an empty train and I'm trailing behind a photon at .9c. You're saying that photon, in this situation where I am the only observer, will still appear to move away at c? If that's the case then there...

Tumbling, you just clarified it for me. Measuring light inside a reference frame from another reference frame, it certainly would make sense that length contracts along with time dilation. I misinterpreted what was meant by, "light always travels at c regardless of the observer's velocity."...

Drakkith, to put it simply and briefly, length contraction intuitively to me seems to conflict with calculations that show an observed object always moving at c regardless of observer's speed. Because the object would appear to contract or get smaller, so if the space (measurable space, imagine...

I just wrote out an entire response, and just now deleted it. I would have to discuss this face to face with someone because I feel I'm failing to adequately state my question through this medium. I also think my hypothetical scenarios are being taken too literally. You need to imagine things...

I'm just being reasonably hypothetical to gain a better understanding. Imagining a visible space won't skew any conclusion we come to from my specific question. Then call it a photon with a watch if it makes you happier.

Suppose space was a visible substance, a contracted B would appear like he was moving slower than the speed of light (if A intuitively knew what the speed of light looked like). But when he sees how slowly B's watch is ticking he is then able to validate that B is moving at the speed of light...

Does observer A see the space around observer B also length contracted?

Simon, thanks for those links, I usually try to get an answer out of someone else though, but in this case I see I'll need to read more first. Thanks for clarifying the clock situation haha. So the observer would see the the other's clock moving more slowly than his own. So for Einstein's...

Drakkith, all those experiments came long after Einstein's theory. Were they able to prove that photons always appear to move at the speed of light regardless of the observer's velocity before Einstein began work on his theory? If not how did they come to that conclusion before experimentation?

Hey Simon, yes I fully understand that the length contraction and time dilation is only observed by the observer. My wording may sometimes be unclear to some, but I understand there are different experiences for both the observer and the observed, and the observer sees length contraction and...

Well, it seems Lorentz transformations are the next thing I'll have to learn to get an even clearer picture. They may have even been in the text I read all this SR stuff in. I suppose from the observer's point of view, though, the photon would not appear to be moving away at the speed of...

I'm not sure what relativity of simultaneity is, how would that have an effect on how the observer sees the photon moving away at c? This might be too large a can of worms to open here, but if it pertains or if you have links I'd be interested.

phinds, I mean time dilation and length contraction explain how it's possible for something to appear to be moving at a constant speed even if you're moving at close to the same speed. I don't mean they are the cause, only the result, which helps me to better understand just how an observer...

sweet, I'll have to grab a good linear algebra text. Nice, obviously Hendrix is my anointed guitar god, I've been playing for 12 years now. You really can't go wrong looking up to either one though, they are the best in my opinion.