Special relativity: fireworks exploding

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the application of the Lorentz Transformation in special relativity, specifically regarding the timing of two firecracker explosions in different reference frames. A firecracker explodes at the origin, followed by another explosion 300m away after 2.0 microseconds. Astronauts in a passing rocket measure the distance between the explosions as 200m. The time dilation formula is deemed inappropriate for this scenario due to the spatial separation of the events, necessitating the use of the Lorentz Transformation to accurately determine the time elapsed between the explosions.

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alingy1
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A firecracker explodes at the origin of an inertial reference frame. Then, 2.0 microseconds later, a second firecracker explodes 300m away. Astronauts in a passing rocket measure the distance between the explosions to be 200m. According to the astronauts, how much time elapses between the two explosions?
Okay. My textbook answers this question using spacetime interval consistency which is simple.
I don't understand why the time dilation formula does not work:
$$Δt = \frac {Δτ}{ \sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}$$
Where v is simply the ratio between 300m and 2 microseconds.
Δτ=?
Δt=2x10^-6 s
 
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alingy1 said:
I don't understand why the time dilation formula does not work:
$$Δt = \frac {Δτ}{ \sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}$$
The time dilation formula is a special case of the more general Lorentz transformations. It would apply if the firecrackers exploded at the same place in the 'moving' frame. But here they are 300m apart, so you cannot use it.
 
The easiest and least error-prone way to do this problem is to use the Lorentz Transformation directly.

Event 1: x=0, t=0, x'=0, t'=0

Event 2: x = 300, t = 2x10-6, x'=200, t'=?

So, Δx = 300, Δt = 2x10-6, Δx'=200, Δt'=?

What does the Lorentz Transformation predict for Δt'.
 

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