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Difference between velocity vectors, relative speed

Consider two particles moving in the same direction instantaneously but one of them follows a circular path and one follows a straight path. If I adopt a rotating frame of reference in which the ...
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1answer
37 views

Problem with a rotating frame of reference on the South pole

Consider this problem: A high-speed train is traveling at a constant 150 m/s (about 300 mph) on a straight horizontal track across the south pole. Find the angle between a plumb line suspended ...
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2answers
79 views

Does inertia increase with speed?

I have heard that when the speed of the object increase, the mass of the object also increase. (Why does an object with higher speed gain more (relativistic) mass?) So inertia which is related to ...
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1answer
26 views

Viewing a reference frame from inside of it?

Can one observe one's own frame of reference without moving out side the frame? For example, if you are on a train and you throw ball in the air up and down. When you are on the train (frame 1) you ...
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1answer
76 views

The definition of Lorentz transformation

I know that the Lorentz transformation, when two frames $\mathcal{S}$ and $\mathcal{S}'$ are in standard configuration (the axes are all parallel to their counterparts in the other inertial frame) is ...
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2answers
46 views

Simple conservation of momentum and frame of reference problem

I'm making a very simple physics engine based on momentum, and I'm solving what response to use for a collision from each involved object's frame of reference. However, something about how I'm ...
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2answers
165 views

What is the Andromeda Paradox?

I have been studying causality (specifically why there is no such thing as a simultaneous instant of time across all observers) recently and I keep hearing references to the Andromeda paradox. Can ...
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3answers
106 views

Stuff can't go at the speed of light - in relation to what? [duplicate]

We all know that stuff can't go faster than the speed of light - it's length becomes negative and all kinds of weird stuff happens. However, this is in relation to what? If two objects, each moving ...
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4answers
174 views

What is the exact mechanism by which time dilates?

What is the exact mechanism by which time dilates for a fast moving object? Can the time dilation be explained by any theory other than relativity?
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1answer
52 views

Local inertial coordinates

It is said that we can introduce local inertial coordinates for any timelike geodesic. But why only for timelike geodesics? What about null geodesics? Perhaps it has to do with invertibility or ...
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4answers
118 views

How to create frame of reference?

Is this possible to create a inertial frame of reference in the earth? How it is possible?
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1answer
137 views

Space time a function of itself, objects in it, or both?

Is spacetime a function of itself, objects within it, or both? I am struggling to understand just what is spacetime without objects in it (or theoretical reference points) and thus no frame of ...
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1answer
57 views

Relativity of simultaneity - An example

I am trying to understand the relativity of simultaneity in different frames, and I am trying to work out an example. Suppose along the x-axis there are two points 2000m apart. Event A happens at t=0 ...
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2answers
75 views

Gravity mitigated by velocity regardless of mass?

We know that a small object moving fast enough can pass by a planet and escape its gravity. Would this be (theoretically) true in reverse? Meaning a planet moving fast enough past a stationary smaller ...
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3answers
86 views

Special Relativity - speed of light question

Just a basic question: I know that if you are traveling at $x$ speed the time will pass for you slower than to an observer that is relatively stopped. That's all just because a photon released at the ...
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1answer
67 views

Difference between proper and comoving frames

I'm reading this book "Introduction to Quantum Fields in Classical Backgrounds" by Mukhanov & Winitzki, and there in the chapter 8 "The Unruh Effect" they introduce 3 reference frames. Laboratory ...
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0answers
103 views

About the theory of relativity

Why is speed of light constant in every non inertial frame of reference? Is there any theoretical explanation behind this postulate Since we cannot completely depend upon the experimental results?
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2answers
83 views

“as measured in a local Lorentz frame”?

I've seen the phrase "as measured in a local Lorentz frame" tagged on the end of so many sentences. What does it mean precisely? To give an explanation with an example, consider the context of ...
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1answer
46 views

kinetic energy of the stone

Suppose we have a man traveling in an open car (roof open) with speed $v$ towards right (man faces right). He throws a stone (mass $m$) towards right, in his frame-forward with speed $V$. In the ...
2
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1answer
96 views

Lorentz invariance of the wave equation

I want to show that the 2-d wave equation is invariant under a boost, so, the starting point is the wave equation $$\frac{\partial^2\phi}{\partial x^2}=\frac{1}{c^2}\frac{\partial^2\phi}{\partial ...
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0answers
54 views

Determining Ether Drag - Aberration of Starlight

In order to determine the relative motion between the Earth and the ether (the medium through which light supposedly propagated. It has zero density and complete transparency), scientists used the ...
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6answers
179 views

Inertial Frames of Reference - Inertial vs. Accelerated Frames

According to Robert Resnick's book "Introduction to Special Relativity", a line states the following as the definition of an inertial frame of reference: "We define an inertial system as a frame of ...
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2answers
101 views

Inertial Frames of Reference - Description of an Inertial Frame of Reference

An inertial frame of reference is described as being a frame of reference in which the first law of Newton (the law of inertia) holds. This means that all events as described with respect to this ...
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1answer
83 views

Explanation of a Foucault pendulum

The equations of motion of a Foucault pendulum is given by: $$\ddot{x} = 2\omega \sin\lambda \dot{y} - \frac{g}{L}x$$ $$\ddot{y} = -2\omega \sin\lambda \dot{x} - \frac{g}{L}y$$ where $\omega$ is ...
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3answers
271 views

A man running on the treadmill

Imagine a man is running on a treadmill. His inertia with respect to floor will be zero because he is not moving with respect to floor. If both he and the tread mill suddenly stops he will not fall, ...
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1answer
63 views

How would time duration and space distance change when we move in the speed of light? [closed]

It is possible to figure out how time duration and space distance change when we are close to the speed of light - but I am not sure what happens to them if we travel in the speed of light.
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2answers
96 views

Internal/Rotational angular momentum

I have some difficulties to understand the relation between the internal and the rotational angular momentum of a rigid body which is also known as König's theorem, so what physical intuition lies ...
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3answers
182 views

If time slows down when you move faster, does this give you an “effective speed” different from your proper speed?

Suppose you're travelling at 0.9c toward the sun, and you tag past the Earth and start a clock. Would Lorentz contraction/time dilation cause you to get to the sun faster than (about) 9 minutes ...
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0answers
75 views

Car parking special-relavity puzzle

Hi I read the following puzzle from an old text book long time ago. However it doesn't provide the answer. So what is the solution? Let's suppose a car is going to park to a garage and the garage is ...
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2answers
248 views

Which is the axis of rotation?

This should be simple, but it keeps bothering me. If a rigid body has no fixed axis, and a torque (defined relative to a point $A$) is applied, it will rotate around $A$. But often I can also ...
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0answers
203 views

Anomalous target space diffeomorphisms for one-loop world-line integrals

The Schwinger effect can be calculated in the world-line formalism by coupling the particle to the target space potential $A$. My question relates to how this calculation might extend to computing ...
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1answer
105 views

What is the maximum time dilation between two objects, if one is standing still and the other is moving at $c$?

What is the maximum ratio in the rate of change in time in reference to object $A$ which is standing still and object $B$ which is moving at the speed of light?
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4answers
201 views

The bigger the mass, the more time slows down. Why is this?

If I were to stand by a pyramid, which weighs about 20 million tons, I would slow down by a trillion million million million of second. Don't know if that's exactly right, but you get the point. Also, ...
0
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1answer
66 views

Speed of light in a given direction based on frame of reference [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How is the speed of light constant in all directions for all observers? Is the speed of light constant regardless of frame of reference? If not, why is it still measured ...
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1answer
170 views

Does the increase of (relativistic) mass, while flying near speed of light, has any impact on astronauts? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Would travelling at relativistic speeds have any impact on human biology? I am asking myself this question for a few day. What is the answer on: Does the increase of ...
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3answers
364 views

Kinetic energy with respect to different reference frames

I'm having problems understanding the following situation. Suppose two 1-tonne cars are going with the same orientations but opposite senses, each 50 km/h with respect to the road. Then the total ...
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1answer
134 views

Does photon possesses no time to cover any arbitrary distance?

Photon travel 8 minutes (with speed $c$) from the sun to reach the earth. Any particle (or space-ship) with velocity $0.99 c$ covers the same distance (93 millions km) within less than 2 minutes ...
0
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1answer
103 views

Scattering Amplitudes in Centre of Mass Frame

I'm reviewing page 59 of the QFT notes here and am a little confused by a reference frame argument. You can compute the second order probability amplitude term for nucleon-nucleon scattering to be ...
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1answer
196 views

Calculating the speed of an object moving relative to another moving Object (Frame of reference) [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How to deduce the theorem of addition of velocities? Let's say that you are in a rocket speeding at 90% the speed of light away from Earth. Now fire a bullet inside the ...
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1answer
163 views

Degrees of freedom in the infinite momentum frame

Lenny Susskind explains in this video at about 40min, as an extended object (for example a relativistic string) is boosted to the infinite momentum frame (sometimes called light cone frame), it has no ...
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0answers
61 views

Does Bernoulli's principle hold in moving reference frames? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Bernoulli’s equation and reference frames Sometimes in train, when setting behind opening window, I can feel strong gale blowing in. The closer to the window the ...
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2answers
279 views

What does a sphere moving close to the speed of light look like?

What shape does the viewer in a reference frame with $v=0$ perceive? I suppose that since the sphere moves in one direction only (oX only, not oY) its section would change into an ellipse, where the ...
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1answer
81 views

Proper times of two observers in a three-torus

Consider two observer in a tree-torus space of size $L$. Observer $A$ is at rest, while observer $B$ moves in the $x$-direction with constant velocity $v$. $A$ and $B$ began at the same event, and ...
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2answers
78 views

Terminology for opposite null lines

Is there a name for two null lines that lie on the opposite sides of the null cone? Each line can be obtained from the other by reflection in the axis of the null cone (the time-axis). In terms of ...
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1answer
152 views

4-momentum and an $y$ component of momentum

I have 2 coordinate systems which move along $x,x'$ axis. I have derived a Lorentz transformation for an $x$ component of momentum, which is one part of an 4-momentum vector $p_\mu$. This is my ...
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2answers
528 views

Why does an object with higher speed gain more (relativistic) mass?

Today, in my high school physics class, we had an introductory class on electromagnetism. My teacher explained at some point that an object with a very high speed (he said it started to get somewhat ...
3
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1answer
172 views

Is a preferred reference frame of the universe the old aether?

About two years ago I posted a question about a symmetrical twin paradox: Here. Recently a new answer was posted and an intense discussion ensued: Here. One of the points discussed concerns a ...
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2answers
167 views

When moving fast Time slows down Vs speeds up

I was watching an old cartoon movie where a scientist makes a gadget, which when bound on the wrist, freezes the movement of the whole world. So, that one may do 100s of things in a single second. ...
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2answers
122 views

Speed of Entropy change

If time in systems moving with different speed goes differently, does speed of entropy change differ in these systems? (is "speed of entropy change" a valid term? can we compare them?)
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1answer
85 views

Faster than light due to reference position [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Travelling faster than the speed of light Please try to follow and clarify me I've been curious about this for a long time as it seems a bit paradox due to the rule that ...

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