The discussion revolves around the concept of frames of reference in the context of remote astronauts, specifically considering scenarios involving individuals on the Moon and Mars. Participants explore the conditions under which two observers can be said to share a common frame of reference, touching on aspects of velocity, direction, and acceleration.
Participants express differing views on the definitions and conditions for sharing a frame of reference, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.
There appears to be ambiguity regarding the distinction between "frame of reference" and "rest frame," which may affect the clarity of the discussion.
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 said: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?
No, just up too late! :) It's 3:45 AM now here, I guess I should get to sleep...rab99 said:thank you Jesse for your prompt reply...that was very prompt :) are you Australian ?
Their "frame of reference" does not depend on their velocities.rab99 said: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?
I think rab99 was asking whether they share the same rest frame, which does of course depend on their velocities.clem said: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.
Clearly a man on the Moon and one on Mars are definitely not in the same frame of reference.rab99 said: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?