Quote (BovineDesi @ Wed, 10 Dec 2008, 23:36)
Yea, classic problem where they ask you if a msisile launched off of a ship going at close to v=c, what would be its speed? And lampee...it is useless - - sorry not to bash theoretical physics but its practical application is out of reach...but I will admit that theoretical physicists have definately improved alot of current physics and chemistry.
Hard to explain in English... even hard in my mother tongue^^
Well, I'm sure, wikipedia will support you
by moving at a high speed (relevant compared to c), not only time passes slower, but also the object will also get smaller in the direction of movement. In the theory of special relativity (also in general
) the frame of reference is very important:
Someone passes you on a bike, you'll say "that guy passed me at x mp/h". The guy on the bike may say that he didnt move at all, but his complete enviroment is moving "backwards" at the same x mp/h.
Imagine you travel in a space shuttle at a very hight speed (for example 0.8c, the lorentz factor is 2.7 now (see Post #8))
With your space shuttle, you pass a guy on the moon. That guy will say: His time runs 2.7times slower, he's 2.7times smaller than usual.
You'll say: The time in the universe runs 2.7times slower, it's contracted by the factor of 2.7.
Now you throw a ball inside your ship, with a speed of 27m/s in your frame of reference. You'll say 'that ball travels at the speed of 27m/s'
The guy on the moon will see something different: Your space shuttle, that means that complete moving system is 2.7times smaller than usual. The distance the ball moves contracts with the whole system: its lowered by the factor 2.7.
While, in your frame of reference the ball moved 27m, it only moved 10m inside your ship in the frame of reference of the guy on the moon. Consequently it moves only 10m/s:
He'll say 'In total, that ball travels at the speed of the space shuttle plus the throwing speed: 0.8c+10m/s.
By getting nearer to c, the Lorentz factor is getting higher and higher, up to infinity before you reach c.
I'm sure you didnt understand
