Special relativity and standard configuration

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the application of special relativity to analyze three key events involving a spaceship traveling between two planets. The events are defined as E1 (spaceship at planet A sending a light pulse), E2 (light pulse arriving at planet B), and E3 (spaceship arriving at planet B). Participants confirm the coordinates for these events as (0,0), (20cs, 20s), and (20cs, 40s) respectively, while also discussing the use of Lorentz transformations to convert these coordinates into the spaceship's frame of reference. The calculations reveal that the spaceship's clock records 34 seconds for the journey, while the distance between the planets in the spaceship's frame is determined to be 17 light-seconds.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of special relativity concepts, including frames of reference and Lorentz transformations.
  • Familiarity with the speed of light and its representation in calculations (e.g., light-seconds).
  • Basic mathematical skills for calculating time and distance using the formula t = d/v.
  • Ability to interpret and create diagrams representing events in different frames of reference.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Lorentz transformation equations in detail to understand their application in various scenarios.
  • Learn how to create and interpret spacetime diagrams for events in different inertial frames.
  • Explore the implications of time dilation and length contraction in special relativity.
  • Investigate the concept of simultaneity in different frames of reference and its effects on event ordering.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of special relativity and their practical applications in analyzing motion between different frames of reference.

  • #31
40s - (0.5c * 20cs) it should have been which gives me 30s/denominator and time t'= 34us
whould that be correct?
so it would take 34us for ship to reach destination -planet B from planet A at 0.5c . That is from ship refrence point?
 
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  • #32
i got numbers wrong..again. i think it should be 34s not us.
 
  • #33
jbriggs444 said:
The "denominator" of which you speak. What is that? Can you show us?
1707688219060.png
... in my case v =0.5c so the denominator is 866x10^-3.
(40s - (0.5c * 20cs)/c^2)/(866x10^-3)=34 seconds
would that be correct?
 
  • #34
greg997 said:
i got numbers wrong..again. i think it should be 34s not us.
Yes. The ship clocks tick off 34 seconds between ##E_1## and ##E_3##.
 
  • #35
thank you jbriggs444 for confirmation.
How can i calculate velocity of planet B in spaceships reference? and the distance between these two planets from spaceships reference?
 
  • #36
greg997 said:
thank you jbriggs444 for confirmation.
How can i calculate velocity of planet B in spaceships reference? and the distance between these two planets from spaceships reference?
Relative velocities in special relativy are always equal and opposite (assuming that one has aligned the respective coordinate systems with the direction of the relative velocity).

The speed of the rocket in the planet frame is the same as the speed of the planet in the rocket frame.
 
  • #37
so if the velocity of spaceship is 0.5c from planets refrence then looking from spaceships refrence the planets velocity is -0.5c? makes sense
and distance?
 
  • #38
greg997 said:
so if the velocity of spaceship is 0.5c from planets refrence then looking from spaceships refrence the planets velocity is -0.5c? makes sense
and distance?
Yes, the velocity is -0.5c.

If you multiply that by the [primed] time between ##E_1## (planet A passing) and ##E_3## (planet B passing), that will tell you how far apart the planets must be in the spaceship frame.
 
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  • #39
so in my case , the time was t=34s and velocity v=0.5 , so the distance was 17 cs.
 
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  • #40
that is my first time trying to understand these other refrence frames.
In general, in life we dont really do that.
That special relativity subject is completly diffrent to other areas in physics. It is mind boggling.

thank you all for your help and support. It takes some mental exercise to look at events from diffrent refrence frames , especiayl with speed of light involved.
 
  • #41
greg997 said:
In general, in life we dont really do that.
In real life, we do not often use mathematics to translate measurements from one reference frame to another. But we use reference frames all the time without even stopping to think about it.

We climb into a car (or boat or train) and sit comfortably as the vehicle moves about.

We can fly on an airplane and walk to the bathroom in the back without worrying that we are travelling at 400 miles per hour backward relative to the ground far below.

Many of us have stepped on or off of a moving walkway, leaning into the transition without having to think too much about it. Some of us have played catch on a carousel.

But you are certainly correct that our every day experience with shifting between moving reference frames does not prepare us for the idea that measures of time or of simultaneity can be affected.
 

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