- #1
Aziza
- 190
- 1
The common example demonstrating relativity of simultaneity is something like this:
Say there is Person #1 and #2, each on their own train, in the middle of the train from both ends. #1 thinks #2 is moving, but #2 thinks #1 is moving. Lightning hits both ends of the trains. In #1's reference frame, let's say that light from the events hits #1 at the same time. But #1 sees #2 moving, so #1 will believe that #2 sees one event before the other. The example thus ends that it is in fact true that #2 sees one event before the other.
But this is just from #1's reference frame! I mean, how do we know what #2 will actually see? We can't just judge from #1's reference what #2 will see?? According to #2, it is #1 that is moving, so #2 will say that #1 did not see the events at the same time, even though #1 says that he did see them at same time. So if we do not know purely from #2's reference what #1 actually saw, then by symmetry we can't say what #2 actually saw from #1's reference...?
Say there is Person #1 and #2, each on their own train, in the middle of the train from both ends. #1 thinks #2 is moving, but #2 thinks #1 is moving. Lightning hits both ends of the trains. In #1's reference frame, let's say that light from the events hits #1 at the same time. But #1 sees #2 moving, so #1 will believe that #2 sees one event before the other. The example thus ends that it is in fact true that #2 sees one event before the other.
But this is just from #1's reference frame! I mean, how do we know what #2 will actually see? We can't just judge from #1's reference what #2 will see?? According to #2, it is #1 that is moving, so #2 will say that #1 did not see the events at the same time, even though #1 says that he did see them at same time. So if we do not know purely from #2's reference what #1 actually saw, then by symmetry we can't say what #2 actually saw from #1's reference...?