Are there any physisists on the forum?

[Tollers]

So c is the constant but t is elastic.
How does all this affect my poor lap times? The faster I travel the slower I get relative to the track...

No...the faster you go, the slower time goes for the rest of the universe (relative to you). You're effectively cycling into the future Chris, so be proud,

 

[Over The Hill]

No - it's Einstein's special theory - nothing evceeds the speed of light

Ralatively from a different angle things look different but it is time that changes rather than speed bas I understandn it

(I hope Over The Hill doesn't send me back to school again)

No I have exhausted my knowledge on the subject in my one post! It was on QI or How or something once and that bit just stuck.

 

[Chrisc]

No...the faster you go, the slower time goes for the rest of the universe (relative to you). You're effectively cycling into the future Chris, so be proud,

I must be pushing one hell of a gear! ;-)

 

[ComedyPilot]

No...the faster you go, the slower time goes for the rest of the universe (relative to you). You're effectively cycling into the future Chris, so be proud,

Sounds like something Blazed would do.....

...or Joe24 (remember him?)

 

[colly]

No, Their velocity relative to 2 objects moving in opposite direction to each other will be 2 x speed of light

Ok that is logical so when the objects pass each other they will be travelling away from one another at 2 x C. What then if one emits a flash of light?
The light would be travelling away from the light source at C, relative to the light source. The source travelling at C (or almost C) .

The light (if it could be observed) would not appear stationary to a bystander sited at 90 degs.
And just supposing one object 'collected' a particle from the other as they passed that particle would be accelerated to 2 x C relative to the other object.


Also the speed of light being a limiting factor. Where is the datum point? The source of the light? Or some unspecified fixed point in time and space?

 

[atbman]

As far as "action at a distance" is concerned, the Einstein, Podgosky and Rosen hypothesis(?) was that this was not possible. I have therefore writ a pome to enable you to rmember this:

"To say", said Einstein, Podgorsky and Rosen,
"Its state's cause by t'other that's chosen,
Is frankly absurd, so we'll give it the bird
And assume that each spin is pre-frozen"

Ithengyou

 

[Chrisc]

No...the faster you go, the slower time goes for the rest of the universe (relative to you). You're effectively cycling into the future Chris, so be proud,

Hang on a mo...
This means that a lap timed from the trackside must be different from the time recorded on the bike itself. By a very very very very very (you get the idea) small amount.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Ok that is logical so when the objects pass each other they will be travelling away from one another at 2 x C. What then if one emits a flash of light?
The light would be travelling away from the light source at C, relative to the light source. The source travelling at C (or almost C) .

No, if one of the objects emits a light beam, it would move at C relative to everything.

The light (if it could be observed) would not appear stationary to a bystander sited at 90 degs.
And just supposing one object 'collected' a particle from the other as they passed that particle would be accelerated to 2 x C relative to the other object.

I am not sure, but I think the particle would be accelerated by nearly 2C as first it was going nearly C in one direction and is afterwards moving at nearly C in the other direction. However, the other object would not observe that particle as moving at nearly 2C; it would see it moving at nearly C. It couldn't see it moving at nearly 2C, because if it emitted a beam of light behind, it would still catch the other object up.

Also the speed of light being a limiting factor. Where is the datum point? The source of the light? Or some unspecified fixed point in time and space?

There is no datum point or reference point from which the speed of light is measured. It always travels at light speed relative to you, at least within a vacuum. If an object travelling at 99% of C emited a light beam ahead, any observer on the object would see the light beam move away at C. If the light beam was emitted behind, the observer would again see the light beam move away at C. Any observer on another stationary object would also see these light beams travelling at C.

 

[Yellow Fang]

There is another funny effect. If the two objects rushing towards each other at near light speed emited beams of light at each other, each object would observe the light beams moving at C, but the wavelength would be shorter. If they both emitted a light beam behind them after they had passed each other, they again would observe the beams moving at C, but this time the wavelength would be longer. So suppose the light beams were at a wavelength corresponding to green light. As they approached each other the light would appear blue; as they moved away the light would appear red. This is known as the doppler effect, or the red shift effect.

Edit: this is probably what is happening in Star Wars. When the laser beams appear red it is because the spacecraft are moving away from you; when blue, they are coming towards you.

 

[661-Pete]

Edit: this is probably what is happening in Star Wars. When the laser beams appear red it is because the spacecraft are moving away from you; when blue, they are coming towards you.

On the other hand, in Star Trek (TOS), it is always the 'expendable' guys in red jerseys who get zapped, whereas Kirk and Sulu (gold jerseys), Spock and Bones (blue) always escape unscathed. Is this a kind of Doppler effect phenomenon?

Mind you, that doesn't explain how Uhura and Scottie get away...

 

[Yellow Fang]

Yes, I used to wonder quite a bit on the significance of the jersey colours. Was it rank or function?

 

[marinyork]

The jersey colours are function. Blue was science and medical and yellow security, engineering and all that which was why red was more common.

 

[mangaman]

Hang on a mo...
This means that a lap timed from the trackside must be different from the time recorded on the bike itself. By a very very very very very (you get the idea) small amount.

Absolutely Chris

Mind you you would have to be very very quick

If you take a clock on a supersonic plane ride and compare it to one that's stayed on Earth, it will be slightly slower