- #1
Austin0
- 1,160
- 1
Additive velocities.
If a car is traveling down a road at velocitiy u wrt the road and fires bullets in the forward and backward directions relative to the direction of travel at velocities v and -v respectively wrt the car,, then it is self evident that as measured in the coordinates of the road the bullet propelled with the forward momentum of the car is going to be faster than the speed of the bullet fired counter to that momentum
But according to the relativity addition of velocities equation it appears that with a u =.8c and a v=2c this is not the case. I should make it clear that in this case I am referring to "bullets" with imaginary mass ie. tachyons
The bullet propelled forward in the same direction as the source is slower than the bullet propelled counter to the motion of the source.
In another context this would mean if two guns were mounted in opposite directions along a railroad track and fire as the middle of the train is coincident , that the bullet fired toward the rear of the train which is moving toward it would be slower than a bullet fired toward the front of the train which is moving away from it, as measured by observers on the train.
This is completely counter to kinematics as we know it and certainly counter to logic so
Should this be interpreted as applicable predictions of FTL physics ?
Thanks
If a car is traveling down a road at velocitiy u wrt the road and fires bullets in the forward and backward directions relative to the direction of travel at velocities v and -v respectively wrt the car,, then it is self evident that as measured in the coordinates of the road the bullet propelled with the forward momentum of the car is going to be faster than the speed of the bullet fired counter to that momentum
But according to the relativity addition of velocities equation it appears that with a u =.8c and a v=2c this is not the case. I should make it clear that in this case I am referring to "bullets" with imaginary mass ie. tachyons
The bullet propelled forward in the same direction as the source is slower than the bullet propelled counter to the motion of the source.
In another context this would mean if two guns were mounted in opposite directions along a railroad track and fire as the middle of the train is coincident , that the bullet fired toward the rear of the train which is moving toward it would be slower than a bullet fired toward the front of the train which is moving away from it, as measured by observers on the train.
This is completely counter to kinematics as we know it and certainly counter to logic so
Should this be interpreted as applicable predictions of FTL physics ?
Thanks
Last edited: