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11
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2answers
1k views

Deriving the Lagrangian for a free particle

I'm a newbie in physics. Sorry, if the following questions are dumb. I began reading "Mechanics" by Landau and Lifshitz recently and hit a few roadblocks right away. Proving that a free particle ...
10
votes
13answers
1k views

What are the mechanics by which Time Dilation and Length Contraction occur?

What are the mechanics of time dilation and length contraction? Going beyond the mathematical equations involving light and the "speed limit of the universe", what is observed is merely a phenomenon ...
5
votes
11answers
2k views

Why do we say that the earth moves around the sun?

In history we are taught that the Catholic Church was wrong, because the Sun does not move around the Earth, instead the Earth moves around the Sun. But then in physics we learn that movement is ...
8
votes
2answers
628 views

Does the speed of light vary in noninertial frames?

The speed of light is the same in all inertial frames. Does it change from a non-inertial frame to another? Can it be zero? If it is not constant in non-inertial frames, is it still bounded from ...
3
votes
6answers
1k views

Is there any true inertial reference frame in the universe?

Is there any true inertial reference frame in the universe? Newton's first law states that an object at rest remains at rest, and an object performing uniform motion performs uniform motion, until ...
2
votes
2answers
160 views

Foucault pendulum

The equations of motions for a Foucault pendulum are given by: $$\ddot{x} = 2\omega \sin\lambda \dot{y} - \frac{g}{L}x,$$ $$\ddot{y} = -2\omega \sin\lambda \dot{x} - \frac{g}{L}y.$$ What are the ...
1
vote
2answers
525 views

Flying a toy helicopter inside an accelerating train

Scenario: You ride in a train, you have this helicopter toy. The train is not yet running when you flew your helicopter on a constant altitude (say 1 meter above the train's floor). Question: What ...
4
votes
2answers
388 views

Landau's ambiguous statement about the existence of inertial frames

Landau writes "It is found, however, that a frame of reference can always be chosen in which space is homogeneous and isotropic and time is homogeneous." Does he mean that we can prove the existence ...
1
vote
1answer
470 views

Earth as approximate inertial frame of reference

In many practical applications one can consider the earth approximately as inertial reference system (though it is non inertial). Is there any quotable reference, where this claim is supported by a ...
1
vote
0answers
163 views

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and its relation to Inertial Frames

We know that CMB is isotropic when viewed outside of the spinning and revolving earth. Is it homogeneous? Can we relate CMB to an inertial frame in the Newtonian sense (in which space and time are ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views

Centripetal/Gravitational Force

Suppose a satellite is orbiting the Earth. The gravitational and centripetal force supposedly point towards the Earth. Therefore, the net force is towards the Earth. Since the satellite doesn't fall ...
0
votes
2answers
863 views

Argument for proving Earth frame is non-inertial

Today I heard an argument to prove that the Earth frame is non-inertial. It seriously doesn't make any sense to me but I also heard that same argument was made by Einstein, so I am asking it here. ...