When will two ships collide in reference frame of Earth?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves two ships moving toward each other at a significant fraction of the speed of light (0.7 c) and examines the timing and coordinates of their collision from the perspective of an Earth reference frame. It also considers the perspective of one ship's reference frame at rest.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to determine the time until collision and the coordinates of the ships at that moment. Questions are raised regarding the interpretation of the velocities of the ships in relation to Earth.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with some participants expressing confusion about the problem and others prompting for clarification on the assumptions and initial conditions. There is no explicit consensus yet on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

One participant notes the importance of demonstrating an attempt to solve the problem, indicating that there may be imposed homework rules regarding effort and engagement with the material.

matt14690
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4. Two ships are moving toward each other with velocity of 0.7 c. At time zero in reference frame (reference
frame of Earth), Ship 1 nearly collides with Earth and Ship 2 is at the distance of 105 km from Earth.
(a)How long does it take according to the clock on Earth before the ships collide? What are the coordinates
of each ship at the collision?
(b)The clock in reference frame where Ship 1 is always at origin and at rest is set to zero when Ship 1 nearly
collides with Earth. What will the clock in show when the two ships collide?
 
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Can't figure this out
 
matt14690 said:
4. Two ships are moving toward each other with velocity of 0.7 c.
Is that the speed of each ship with respect to the Earth?
 
Aren't you supposed to demonstrate that you've at least attempted to solve the problem? If you can't even start, try explaining what you do know about the problem.
 

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