- #1
liometopum
- 127
- 24
I am trying to understand the calculations for a relativisitic light clock and am doing something wrong.
I am the stationary observer.
A light clock goes by at c/2, or 93000 miles per second.
The length of the light clock 'rod', which is perpendicular to the line of motion is 186,000 miles so it takes one second in the other (.5c) frame of reference.
Photon fires off and travels along the rod and hits the receiver.
From my point of view:
The base of the triangle is 93,000 miles, which is c/2.
The light clock rod is 186,000 miles
The hypotenuse is 207954 miles.
The light should travel the 207,954 miles (hypotenuse) distance.
The ratio of the hypotenuse to the vertical is 207954/186000= 1.118. So it takes 1.118 seconds for the light to travel that distance.
Is this right so far?
Next, the light should hit the receiver at the same moment whether the light travels straight up from the other frame of reference or from my frame of reference.
I should be viewing the time to be slower for the moving frame, by 1/1.118 or 89.445 percent of my clock.
However, using the standard formula for SR at .5c, the clockrate should be about 86.6 percent of my clockrate.
Something is amiss. What?
I am the stationary observer.
A light clock goes by at c/2, or 93000 miles per second.
The length of the light clock 'rod', which is perpendicular to the line of motion is 186,000 miles so it takes one second in the other (.5c) frame of reference.
Photon fires off and travels along the rod and hits the receiver.
From my point of view:
The base of the triangle is 93,000 miles, which is c/2.
The light clock rod is 186,000 miles
The hypotenuse is 207954 miles.
The light should travel the 207,954 miles (hypotenuse) distance.
The ratio of the hypotenuse to the vertical is 207954/186000= 1.118. So it takes 1.118 seconds for the light to travel that distance.
Is this right so far?
Next, the light should hit the receiver at the same moment whether the light travels straight up from the other frame of reference or from my frame of reference.
I should be viewing the time to be slower for the moving frame, by 1/1.118 or 89.445 percent of my clock.
However, using the standard formula for SR at .5c, the clockrate should be about 86.6 percent of my clockrate.
Something is amiss. What?