Re: Beam me up - trying to get a basic understanding of GR

Curious wrote:
b2. Imagine two space-stations ST1,ST2 exactly one light-minute apart in their frame of reference, and two space-ships SP1,SP2 travelling at near-light-speed also the same distance apart, approaching the two stations along the same axis on which they lie:
ST1. . . . . . .ST2 <-SP1. . . . . . .<-SP2
When spaceship SP1 is alongside ST1, and SP2 alongside ST2, spaceship SP2 flashes a beam of light towards ST1. The light reaches ST1 in one minute ('static'-time). Spaceship SP2 reaches ST2 a second or two later than the light.
b3.1 Does SP2 perceive the distance between ST1 and ST2 to be as far as we do?
b3.2 How many of SP2's seconds does it take the light to reach ST2?

Instead of getting an answer from this group, I strongly advise you to work out this problem yourself using the Lorentz transformation. Once you've succeeded, you'll understand SR much better than you do now. I'm not even going to give you any hints to start off, but post again if you have trouble (or if you want someone to check your answers).

-- Ben
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