Light move away from the emitter at 1.00 c ?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the behavior of light emitted from an object moving at relativistic speeds, specifically whether the light moves away from the emitter at the speed of 1.00 c. Participants explore concepts from special relativity, including the invariance of the speed of light and the relativistic addition of velocities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that light emitted from an object moving at .99 c travels away at 1.00 c, as the light does not "know" the emitter is in motion.
  • Others argue that regardless of the emitter's motion, all observers measure the speed of light as c, emphasizing the principle of light's invariance in special relativity.
  • A participant presents the relativistic velocity addition formula, suggesting that when applying it, the speed of light remains c, even when considering the emitter's speed.
  • There is a discussion about the notation used in the velocity addition formula, with participants clarifying its meaning and the context of its application.
  • Some participants express confusion regarding the notation and the implications of the relativistic addition of velocities, leading to further clarifications and corrections of earlier statements.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the behavior of light in relation to the emitter's speed, with no consensus reached. While some support the idea that light's speed remains constant at c, others propose alternative interpretations that suggest a different understanding of velocity addition.

Contextual Notes

Discussions include various interpretations of the relativistic addition of velocities and the implications of different notations used. Some participants correct their own misunderstandings, indicating a dynamic exchange of ideas and clarifications.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying special relativity, physics students exploring the nature of light and motion, and anyone curious about the implications of relativistic physics on everyday concepts of speed and motion.

keepitmoving
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if an object moving at .99 c emits a light, does that light move away from the emitter at 1.00 c ?
 
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Yes, because the light does not know that the source is in motion.
 


if the emitter suddenly stops, does the light know it? If the light doesn`t know it, the light will be moving at c plus the previous speed of the emitter.
 


keepitmoving said:
if the emitter suddenly stops, does the light know it? If the light doesn`t know it, the light will be moving at c plus the previous speed of the emitter.
No it won't. A stationary observer would still measure the speed of light as c. The invariance of the speed of light is a fundamental concept in special relativity.
 


The light will not ever be moving at c plus the speed of the emitter. Light rays travel at c. Every light ray in vacuum will be measured to be traveling at c by every inertial observer. The emitter measures the light ray to recede from him at c. The receiver measures the light ray to approach him at c. Any and all passers-by to this experiment measure the speed of the light ray as c. It makes no difference whatsoever what the various observers' velocities are relative to each other; they all, each and every one of them, measure the speed of that light ray as c. Not c + the velocity of the emitter, not c + the velocity of the receiver, not c + anything. C.

That is what it means for the speed of light to be constant.
 


keepitmoving said:
the light will be moving at c plus the previous speed of the emitter.
In a way it will, but with a different definition of "plus". In SR you have to add up velocities like this:

u\oplus v=\frac{u+v}{1+\frac{uv}{c^2}}

If u=0.99c and v=c, the result is

u\oplus v=\frac{0.99c+c}{1+\frac{0.99c^2}{c^2}}=\frac{1.99c}{1.99}=c

What if u isn't 0.99c? Let's try it again, with u arbitrary and v=c:

u\oplus v=\frac{u+c}{1+\frac{uc}{c^2}}=\frac{c\left(\frac u c+1\right)}{1+\frac{u}{c}}=c
 


Fredrik, what equation is that? Does it have a name I can google? :)
 


That's the relativistic addition of velocity formula.
 
  • #10


Thank you. That's handy.
 
  • #11


Does the u \oplus v means the velocity of the emitter relative to the observer plus the velocity of the photon relative to the emitter? If I could try your patience for one more stupid question, what's a plus sign with a circle around it? Just a sign for adding vectors or what?

Thanks again.
 
  • #12


pesto said:
Does the u \oplus v means the velocity of the emitter relative to the observer plus the velocity of the photon relative to the emitter? If I could try your patience for one more stupid question, what's a plus sign with a circle around it? Just a sign for adding vectors or what?

Thanks again.

v is the velocity relative the observer for objectA and u is the velocity of the objectB relative objectA, always. And <br /> u \oplus v<br /> means the velocity of object B as measured by the observer. <br /> \oplus <br /> means "composition law for velocities under boosts"

In the wiki article this <br /> u \oplus v<br /> is just called "s".
 
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  • #13


malawi_glenn said:
v is the velocity relative the observer for objectA and u is the velocity relative the observer for objectB, always. And <br /> u \oplus v<br /> means the relative velocity of A and B as measured by the observer. <br /> \oplus <br /> means "composition law for velocities under boosts"

In the wiki article this <br /> u \oplus v<br /> is just called "s".

Woah! Back to the old drawing board. Thank you for the explanation. I though u \oplus v or "s" was the velocity of objectB relative to the observer!
 
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  • #14


pesto said:
Woah! Back to the old drawing board. Thank you for the explanation. I though u \oplus v[/text] or &quot;s&quot; was the velocity of objectB relative to the observer!
<br /> <br /> here is really good explanation what is included <a href="http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/velocity.html" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/velocity.html</a><br /> <br /> forget about my last post, I was not focused on this thread, Sorry for that.<br /> <br /> I have changed it now so it should be correct now, I had many irons in the oven :-) (and maybe I was confused by the non-standard notation \oplus ) ;-)<br /> <br /> The point of the calculation given by Fredrik is that light always move with speed c for all observers.
 
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  • #15


malawi_glenn said:
v is the velocity relative the observer for objectA and u is the velocity relative the observer for objectB, always. And <br /> u \oplus v<br /> means the relative velocity of A and B as measured by the observer. <br /> \oplus <br /> means "composition law for velocities under boosts"

In the wiki article this <br /> u \oplus v<br /> is just called "s".
Sorry, that's confused.

If A, B and C are 3 objects all moving along the same straight line
  • u is the velocity of B measured by A
  • v is the velocity of C measured by B
  • u \oplus v is the velocity of C measured by A
The symbol \oplus is not standard notation. Some may use it but others don't. It's just a way of denoting a different way of "adding" velocities. I'd prefer to call it "composition" rather than "addition".
 
  • #16


DrGreg said:
Sorry, that's confused.

If A, B and C are 3 objects all moving along the same straight line
  • u is the velocity of B measured by A
  • v is the velocity of C measured by B
  • u \oplus v is the velocity of C measured by A
The symbol \oplus is not standard notation. Some may use it but others don't. It's just a way of denoting a different way of "adding" velocities. I'd prefer to call it "composition" rather than "addition".

yup I know, it was an error, I fixed it.

regarding "composition" vs. "addition" I actually mentioned that <br /> \oplus<br /> stands for "composition" right? why adding that?

Cheers
 
  • #17


malawi_glenn said:
yup I know, it was an error, I fixed it.

regarding "composition" vs. "addition" I actually mentioned that <br /> \oplus<br /> stands for "composition" right? why adding that?

Cheers
Sorry, my intentions weren't clear. That comment was really aimed at Pesto in answer to post #11.

In case anyone reading this thread is confused, I was correcting an error in post #12, but then malawi_glenn corrected his own error at the same time, making my comment out of date by the time I posted it. But it's too late to undo that now without causing even further confusion... :frown:
 
  • #18


DrGreg said:
Sorry, my intentions weren't clear. That comment was really aimed at Pesto in answer to post #11.

In case anyone reading this thread is confused, I was correcting an error in post #12, but then malawi_glenn corrected his own error at the same time, making my comment out of date by the time I posted it. But it's too late to undo that now without causing even further confusion... :frown:

it's ok, it do happens sometimes that a person is editing his posts meanwhile someone is pointing out the misstake they did - no big deal :biggrin:
 
  • #19


Thanks again. Fixed my post too :).
 

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