Re: Einstein's Train Gedanken Re-visited

On May 24, 9:56 pm, G <gehan.ameresek...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On May 25, 1:34 am, shuba <tim.sh...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:





Jerry wrote:
If Manny sees both sides of Mary's face illuminated at the same
time, then Mary' must see the lightning bolts simultaneously.

If Manny sees first one side, then the other side of Mary's face
illuminated, then Mary' must see the lightning bolts at different
times, i.e. non-simultaneously.

I haven't been following this, but have to wonder what the
purpose is *for you*.  Both Gehan and Ken could be described as
some combination of being incredibly stupid and/or completely
uninterested in learning the basics of special relativity.  The
chances of the inside of either of their heads becoming
illuminated, simultaneously or not, due to anything you could
possibly write about relativity, are essentially zero.

         ---Tim Shuba---

All we want to know is, why doesn't the person on the train,
being equidistant from the lightning strikes and having light
travel at c from each window pane to himself, see both flashes at the
same time?

Because on the train the strikes happen at different times.

If something happens at a place other than where you are located, how
do you know when it happen? You need a clock at each location and a
method of getting them to read the same time.

In SR the speed of light is used as the standard for getting all the
clocks in sync. M bounces a flash of light off a mirror at A and
times its return. We have declared the speed of light to be the same
in both directions, so the trip from M to A must take half the time of
the two way trip. So we adjust the clock at A so that the one way
trip takes half as long as the two way trip. The clocks are then in
synch.

On the train moving at v we do the same thing with M' and A'. As far
as M' and A' are concerned they are not moving, so no allowance needs
to be made for their motion when setting their clocks.

Now let's watch the clocks on the train being set from the perspective
of the tracks. M' sends a flash traveling at c toward A' while A'
travels at v toward the flash. So the closing speed between A' and
the flash is c+v. When the light bounces off the mirror at A' it
heads back toward M' at c, but M' is moving at v, so the light closes
on him at c-v. Obviously the trip from M' to A' took less time than
the trip from A' to M', so when it was set as if the trips took the
same time it was put out of sync reading late. When the clock at B'
is set the c-v leg comes first, so the clock gets set out of sync
early.

Now you can see why the clocks at A' and B' did not read the same when
the strikes hit. M and M' have both synchronized their clocks based
on the same wave front traveling at c in their own coordinate system.
M' has every right to consider himself at rest. As far as he is
concerned the clocks in the frame of M were set out of sync.

Say the person on the train is Mary

Does Mary see the lighting strikes simultaneous

If the train is moving with respect to the tracks

no

If the train is not moving with respect to the tracks.

yes

This is a simple question. Is there anything stupid about the
question?

It is not a stupid question. What is stupid is when someone asks a
question and then argues about the answer. If he knew the answer why
did he ask the question?


.

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