Question for Special Relativity

[42Physics]

I'm in 8th grade and always have my head in the clouds, and today I thought of something. Einstein's thought experiment with the train and the light reaching the center observer , how time will run slower as you move faster, well I got a question about it. Okay, since the light from point (a) has to travel more distance to get to the center observer on the train, it would take longer as you know. BUT, what about the light from (b)? Wouldnt it have to travel less distance to the observer making the clock "tick" faster? Here is a diagram to help explain

 

[42Physics]

So wouldn't it not change anything at all?

 

[ghwellsjr]

You are correct. That is why when Michelson and Morley attempted to measure the ether wind, they compared two paths that were 90 degrees apart from each other. Here is a thread I made that you might find interesting.