Time question

I just got the book Spacetime Physics, and am working through the first
chapter. Already, I have a question I need answered, before I can
reasonably continue. Sorry if this is really basic, but I'm just starting
out with this...

In the first chapter of the book, the author describes certain events
occuring at specific times and locations in the observer's frame.
Specifically, a rocket shoots by, just a millimeter away from the observer,
into a room (which the observer is standing at the door of). The events
described, from the viewpoint of that observer, are 1) a spark which leaps
from the rocket to the observer as the rocket passes, and 2) another spark
which leaps from the rocket to some object in the room beyond as it passes
that object. (There are other spakrs/objects, but let's deal with just this
one.)

Time and distance values are given for these events, expressed in the
observer's frame. My question is this: for the second spark, which occurs
at some distance from the observer, what does the "time" of the event mean?
Is that the time when the observer "sees" the spark, or is it the actual
time in his frame when the spark occured, which can be computed by knowing
the distance and the speed of light and calculating backwards from the
observation to its "actual" time in his frame?

This is obviously a basic assumption whose answer I need to know in order to
even begin to understand space and time relationships. So...thanks in
advance for your help in getting me started on this!

-Howard





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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Time question
    ... > occuring at specific times and locations in the observer's frame. ... > into a room (which the observer is standing at the door of). ... with a view of showing later on that a relativistic rocket nicely ... > described, from the viewpoint of that observer, are 1) a spark which leaps ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Time question
    ... >> observer, into a room. ... >> The events described, from the viewpoint of that observer, are 1) a spark ... >> which leaps from the rocket to the observer as the rocket passes, ... > Whatever Einstein says it is, spacetime physics will agree. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Time question
    ... > occuring at specific times and locations in the observer's frame. ... > observer, into a room. ... > The events described, from the viewpoint of that observer, are 1) a spark ... > which leaps from the rocket to the observer as the rocket passes, ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Time question
    ... > occuring at specific times and locations in the observer's frame. ... > Specifically, a rocket shoots by, just a millimeter away from the observer, ... > into a room (which the observer is standing at the door of). ... > described, from the viewpoint of that observer, are 1) a spark which leaps ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: absolute and relative launch pad
    ... I'm working in the center of mass frame, ... > It's a little misleading to consider the pad frame and rocket frames ... This observer says that the total initial KE of the ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)