Creating a Common Frame of Reference for Remote Astronauts

[rab99]

lest say you have a man on the moon and one on mars. For them to be in the same frame of ref the only parameters that needs to be common to both is that they must both be traveling at the same velocity and in the same direction yes?

 

[JesseM]

lest say you have a man on the moon and one on mars. For them to be in the same frame of ref the only parameters that needs to be common to both is that they must both be traveling at the same velocity and in the same direction yes?

Yes, a frame of reference is just a coordinate system that can be used for events anywhere in space, so if you choose a frame where the man on the moon has a position coordinate that's not changing over time, and the man on Mars is at rest relative to the man on the moon, then the position coordinate of the man on Mars won't change over time in this frame either, so this frame is the rest frame for both of them.

 

[rab99]

thank you Jesse for your prompt reply...that was very prompt :) are you Australian ?

 

[JesseM]

thank you Jesse for your prompt reply...that was very prompt :) are you Australian ?

No, just up too late! :) It's 3:45 AM now here, I guess I should get to sleep...

 

[rab99]

you are answering physics questions at 3.45 am that's just a tad freaky :)

 

[Meir Achuz]

lest say you have a man on the moon and one on mars. For them to be in the same frame of ref the only parameters that needs to be common to both is that they must both be traveling at the same velocity and in the same direction yes?

Their "frame of reference" does not depend on their velocities.
They are in the same frame of reference if the same axes are used for each, independently of what they are doing.

 

[JesseM]

Their "frame of reference" does not depend on their velocities.
They are in the same frame of reference if the same axes are used for each, independently of what they are doing.

I think rab99 was asking whether they share the same rest frame, which does of course depend on their velocities.

 

[MeJennifer]

lest say you have a man on the moon and one on mars. For them to be in the same frame of ref the only parameters that needs to be common to both is that they must both be traveling at the same velocity and in the same direction yes?

Clearly a man on the Moon and one on Mars are definately not in the same frame of reference.

Two objects are only in the same frame of reference if neither accelerates and that the distance between them remains constant.

 

[matheinste]

Helo all.

Perhaps there is some confusion here between "frame of reference" and "rest frame"?

Matheinste.