• Want to help us with this year's BoS Trials?
    Let us know before 30 June. See this thread for details
  • Looking for HSC notes and resources?
    Check out our Notes & Resources page

relativity help! (1 Viewer)

nightweaver066

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
1,585
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
okay ill change my question: everyone knows about those atomic clocks who were synchronized with one flew in ultrasonic plane and the other on earth. When they analysed the results the clock on the plane was running slow..However from pilot's point of view, the earth is moving at that speed. So he would anticipate that the clock on earth to be slower but he is wrong. FUCKING WHY
I thought neither would be wrong? All frames of reference are accounted for and so they are both valid..
 

viraj30

Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2011
Messages
182
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
I thought neither would be wrong? All frames of reference are accounted for and so they are both valid..
r u tryin to say there's gonna be no difference in time? after the experiment the clock on earth was running faster which was one of the proofs that proved einstein's theory of relativity
 

nightweaver066

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
1,585
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
r u tryin to say there's gonna be no difference in time? after the experiment the clock on earth was running faster which was one of the proofs that proved einstein's theory of relativity
No i'm not saying that. From the frame of reference on Earth, the difference on time between the Earth and the plane is evident by Einstein's theory of special relativity stating that the moving clock will tick slower.

However, from the frame of reference on the plane, moving at a constant speed, you could say the Earth is in relative motion to the plane, causing the clocks on Earth to tick slower.

Hence from both of the frame of references, they are both valid.

EDIT: Sorry, "accounted for" was bad wording. What i meant was no frame of reference is favoured over another.
 
Last edited:

IamBread

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
757
Location
UNSW
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
Basically it's because there is acceleration in the case of the the plane going around the earth that clocks show different times.
 

viraj30

Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2011
Messages
182
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
No i'm not saying that. From the frame of reference on Earth, the difference on time between the Earth and the plane is evident by Einstein's theory of special relativity stating that the moving clock will tick slower.

However, from the frame of reference on the plane, moving at a constant speed, you could say the Earth is in relative motion to the plane, causing the clocks on Earth to tick slower.

Hence from both of the frame of references, they are both valid.
if they are both valid, then why only one of them is correct at the end when the plane landed?
 

IamBread

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
757
Location
UNSW
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
You need to remember that in special relativity there is no acceleration, and thus no changing of reference frames. If they continue in their own separate FOR then both are valid for each others FOR. Once one of the objects accelerates, it changes it's FOR and SR doesn't hold.
 

viraj30

Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2011
Messages
182
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
ok i think im starting to understand it +rep to iambread
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top