Recent content by west-river

Thanks.

I have just now put in an order for the Helliwell book (see the last post of PeroK) If it isn't too much to ask, I would like to get your opinion about my method of learning SR up to here. A few months ago I downloaded a pdf of Robert W. Lawson's authorized translation of the 1916 "Relativity...

Interesting! Thanks again. All this is very useful to me in my search for understanding and is much appreciated.

OK. Back to the drawing board. I can only imagine what my thoughts might sound like to the physicist, but I am genuinely trying to figure things out and needed to put them out somewhere for a reality test. I don't know anywhere else to go with my questions. Thanks.

"Now, the next important event is the clock T reaching clock P2. If we analyse things in the platform frame we know that clock T is time-dilated. Let's assume by a factor of 0.8. Let's assume also that the train takes 1 second (in the platform frame) to travel from P1 to P2. Then, when T...

Very helpful for me. Thank you. I feel close to getting a handle on it. I also like what you said about using the light experiment in learning SR. Of course, my appreciation for your point, has less meaning, since my understanding is so limited, but it makes sense to me. Thanks again.

Thanks for the video. I hope you will bear with me a little longer. I want to get clear in my own mind, if it is possible. 1. Originally I started this thread with one question. My question was (I am now rephrasing it): "If there is a train car with an observer in the middle facing towards an...

Thank you very much for all the help. I am going to take some time to absorb them. If I still don't understand, I may try one more time to formulate my question, but will not want to burden the forum anymore with my own inabilities. Thanks again

Imagine train car moving right at v. M' is midpoint of train car and M is the point on Embankment when M and M' are aligned, say at time T' for M' and at T for M. At T' (for M', A and B beams of light are triggered which are simultaneous for M'. Imagine A and B are affixed to the outside of the...

I think I have it now. I appreciate your help!

To restate: If two lights on a moving train are triggered at the same time relative to an observer on the train exactly between them, will an observer on the bank who is exactly between them when they are triggered (relative to the the observer on the train) receive the beams at the same time...

I should have said "Say the two lights are on the moving train and triggered at the same time relative to the observer on the train in the middle of the car"

OK. Thank you. One more question please: Say the two light are on the moving train and triggered at the same time. What about an observer on the embankment, at rest relative to the train? Will the beams arrive to him at the same time?

Thank you. I made a mistake in my second to last sentence. I accidentally added a question mark. I meant it as a statement. In any case, this answers my question. Thank you.