Question for the maths able..

[compo]

Everything is crystal clear to me now and I have learned a very valuable lesson.

Never get into a debate with the CC intelligensia. There are too many clever bu**gers and I wouldn't stand a chance

 

[shouldbeinbed]

assuming you're on a round planet, they aren't getting further apart, they're travelling towards each other, just starting a long way apart.

 

[dellzeqq]

Everything is crystal clear to me now and I have learned a very valuable lesson.

Never get into a debate with the CC intelligensia. There are too many clever bu**gers and I wouldn't stand a chance

but can they fix a puncture?

 

[TVC]

For those of us who, like me, are not bright enough to follow Marinyork's explanation, here's a picture of a kitten:

 

[vernon]

I usually take "I was just drinking coffee - you owe me a new computer screen" as a bit of flimflam. Perhaps I should revise my estimation.

My screen was similarly decorated when a fragment of dunked Hobnob went down the wrong way. My screen decorations were 3D though.

I've only just got around to removing the streaks from my initial partial screen clean.

 

[Nihal]

Can i say something..............get a car to go at .6 the speed of light and i swear by my bike.........you.........wont be........in it.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

assuming you're on a round planet, they aren't getting further apart, they're travelling towards each other, just starting a long way apart.

Yebbut, the speed at which they're travelling towards each other is exactly equalled by the speed at which they're travelling apart, thereby all abnegating all notion of motion.

 

[classic33]

Yebbut, the speed at which they're travelling towards each other is exactly equalled by the speed at which they're travelling apart, thereby all abnegating all notion of motion.

So what your saying is that neither vehicle is actually moving & that any movement is an hallucination on the part of the drivers?

Flip the direction of travel around, so that both vehicles are now approaching head on. What is their closing speed?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

So what your saying is that neither vehicle is actually moving & that any movement is an hallucination on the part of the drivers?

Flip the direction of travel around, so that both vehicles are now approaching head on. What is their closing speed?

Equal to the speed at which they're getting further apart. I didn't get where I am today by going anywhere!

 

[Thomk]

They travel apart at 0.88c.

However I find that people ask these questions on forums and everyday life all the time. You can just say how it is to which they might just carry on thinking the same as they always did or they might think ah it's not like that. But some people would say they aren't that likely to understand. On the other hand that doesn't mean that anyone who has studied it at whatever level necessarily explains it well or to the liking of the person asking. But it's worth a try.

I suppose you could then talk about what is generally referred to as the Michelson-Morley experiment in popular science books. There have been many such experiments conducted in the 19th and 20th centuries. There is no aether. So you could measure the speed of light taking into account the earth moving around the sun or galactic centre or whatever. Or even get onto more modern experiments. I suppose you could even mention GLAST, ph here.

Nothing wrong with your maths but this answer could be misunderstood.

They are actually travelling apart at 1.2c ACORDING TO SOMEONE STANDING IN THE MIDDLE (to be more presise, the distance between them is increasing at 1.2C).
BUT....as Marinyork knows and has stated, their volocity as measured by each other is only 0.88c, a figure computed by the relativistic formula for the addition of velocities rather than just adding them together using normal mechanics.
BTW this 1.2c figure acording to the observer in the middle doesn't break any laws, the speed of light is constant according to all observers.
The OP could just as easily enquire about 2 light beams approaching each other or moving away from each other or a child jumping up towards the sun (moving towards the approaching photons) etc .......all good questioins but the answers are so counter-intuitive that Einstein is considered one of the greatest minds of all (space)time.

 

[Thomk]

So what your saying is that neither vehicle is actually moving & that any movement is an hallucination on the part of the drivers?

Flip the direction of travel around, so that both vehicles are now approaching head on. What is their closing speed?

According to who?

 

[Thomk]

But I would say that if people wanted to that I would recommend Penrose.............. in general for popular science books in this area and related ones.

Roger Penrose is a smart cookie. His brother Jonathan, the thicko of the family, won the British Chess Championships 10 times!

 

[classic33]

Equal to the speed at which they're getting further apart. I didn't get where I am today by going anywhere!

So, if they are moving towards & away from each other at the same speed, does that mean they are not moving.

To an observer, standing at the point of departure, both vehicles would appear to be moving away at the same speed.

 

[classic33]

According to who?

Both to the occupants of the vehicles & anyone standing were they will meet.

 

[Thomk]

I'm not certain I understand your question but I think the answer is:

1. To the occupants of the vehicles 0.88c
2. To someone standing where they will meet they are both approaching at 0.6c