Recent content by KarlRixon

  1. K

    Find closest fraction to another fraction

    I'm trying to teach myself maths and I'm stuck at this problem: Homework Statement Which of the following fractions is nearest to \frac{1}{2}? You must show your working. \frac{3}{5} \frac{7}{10} \frac{11}{20} Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I know the answer...
  2. K

    I understand time dilation with light clocks, but

    You're quite right of course, but my point is really that I will have to just accept some things for now without getting hung up in questioning "why?" too deeply, because I don't have the breadth of knowledge necessary to understand the answers yet. That's not to say that everybody should just...
  3. K

    I understand time dilation with light clocks, but

    What gave me away?! I take your point, though this question was actually bugging me as a result of my struggling to understand something I was reading a physics book, certainly not as a result of any intellectual effort on my part! I really have no intention of "doing my own thinking" as...
  4. K

    I understand time dilation with light clocks, but

    Thank you all for your replies. Janus your point about the velocity of the moving parts of the mechanical clock makes perfect sense, thank you. I think the real issue I'm having here (but am slowly getting my head around) is accepting that SR is explaining something that "just is", but which...
  5. K

    I understand time dilation with light clocks, but

    Dave, Thanks for the reply. I understand that the principle applies equally to everything, but with a photon clock I can understand *why* the principle applies - distance has changed while speed has remained constant, and since time results from dividing distance by speed, time must change...
  6. K

    I understand time dilation with light clocks, but

    Imagine I were to make a light clock by placing two mirrors facing each other, with a photon bouncing between them vertically, such that one complete round trip for the photon takes exactly one second. I understand that if this contraption were moving horizontally at significant speed, an...
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