If reference frame A is travelling past reference frame B could one argue that it is in fact B that is motionless as their motion is relative to each other? If this is the case then how does one measure a particular objects motion relative to light? How can it be said that one reference frames time would slow down if motion is relative to another reference frame rather than relative to light?
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$\begingroup$ "If reference frame A is travelling past reference frame B could one argue that it is in fact B that is motionless as their motion is relative to each other?" Yes. this is in fact the whole point. $\endgroup$– WillOCommented Aug 11, 2015 at 21:56
1 Answer
- According to the principle of relativity, motion is relative. You can think about it this way:
There could be no physical experiment which would tell you if your reference frame is moving or not.
Who told you that we can attach a reference frame to the light ray? This is completely untrue.
Yes, both times "slow down" in comparison to each other! And there is no contradiction there, because the very notion of simultaneity is changed in Special Relativity such that the resulting model is free of paradoxes.
Have a look at Minkowski space-time. It is a very natural and graphical way of thinking about Special Relativity.