The Theory of Relativity?

Question

I haven't studied it much, but the theory of relativity doesn't make much sense to me. How can the speed of light be constant from any perspective? If a light beam goes the opposite way of another light beam, shouldn't one be moving twice the speed of light relative to the other? What about to a stationary object at the point of crossing?

Answer 1

I don’t accept that you have not studied much about theory relativity. The way you asked the question it self it shows you are giving thought to relativity. Cheer up

I will do bit of job for you.
There are two components in theory of relativity
1 special theory of relativity
2 General theory of relativity
First I want explain this, all motions are relative & there no absolute rest
Constant speed of light has been confirmed experimentally to any frame of reference
Now no can reach speed light
I have divided in to two cases because they form two different frames of reference
Case 1:-FOR LIGHT WHICH IS GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION SPEED OF LIGHT IS SAME i.e. c
Case 2:-Again for stationary object who is standing at cross, speed of light of either light ray is C only. I think this is not a problem only direction is different.
Now if you ask me how? First case is different frame of reference & second case is different frame of reference...
Here Time is personal not absolute. Why you don’t agree is because you believe in what you feel from our day today speeds where difference of time not much. So we have concluded that time is absolute not personal (relative) to frame of reference

Answer 2

A frequently seen equation in any physics class is s=d/t or speed equals distance divided by time. In our slow moving, Newtonian existence, anyone would easily argue that the distance travelled by the object is an absolute. Like a car running a mile course. If car takes more time, speed is slower, if car takes less time speed is faster. Pretty much common sense.
Now, here's the funny thing... a "photon" or quanta of electromagnetic radiation is massless. It travels at a constant speed, usually referred to a "c" in equations. Now, if the "c" or speed in the first equation I mentioned is the constant, that must mean the time duration or distance is variable. What? Distance is variable? "C'mon!", you're thinking, how can say 100meters not be 100meters? Well, depending upon your frame of reference, distances and time are not the same as someone in some other frame of reference. Even your state of motion relative to that frame of reference can affect the length of your measuring device and your measurement of the duration of time that has passed.
Light is the constant, but space [distance] warps and time dilates depending upon an observer's frame of reference and state of motion.
Just remember, it's all relative.

Answer 3

First of all to User Ronin: You made a very common mistake and seperate the system of opposite directions from an outside observer. Truely spoken I think you are right, but by the theory of Einstein you are wrong, because his theory simply states that nothing can be faster than c, this would be an absolute value. Therefore even to an outside observer, the light to the opposite direction and the original light will NOT seperate at a spead greater than c (you stated it would be 2 c, after Einstein any velocity greater than 1c is impossible).
However, meanwhile we know Einstein was wrong, even though his theory predicted a lot of very true things (even the black holes).
And to the one who asked:
If you didn't study Einstein's theory thoroughly, then it is useless talking about it, for you wouldn't understand it. I admit it is hard to comprehend, but if you did, you wouldn't ask your question. So go and study the theory... there are plenty of sources on the net explainig it even without the complicated maths.

Answer 4

In fact, it's fairly simple. When Albert Einstein made his famous theory, he thought of himself traveling trough space sitting on a ray of light. And then he imagined what would happen, if, while traveling on his ray of light, looked himself in a mirror?
This takes us to the mathemathic part: E=M.(C.C). this means Energy equals Mass multiplied by Cinetic charge Squared, if my memory serves me right.
What does this mean? This means that the speed of light is unattainable. The faster you get, the more energy you get, which together with the decrease in mass means that an object that reached the speed of light might: A) explode into quantum sized ****, or B) go beyond the limits of this universe, by getting maximum velocity and no mass.
As for your questions, the light speed is constant because it's always the same, nope, they would both be traveling at 300.000 km at different directions, but that's it. You can't measure speed relative a to a point that's not static. And respect to the stationary object, you can measure two rays of light shooting in oppositte directions, but still going at the same speed, and that's it.
I think I'm right, but I haven't checked my sources, so I might be wrong. Hope I helped, anyway!

Answer 5

It never made much sense to me either, but it is a neccessary assumption for the math to work. And since the equations generated accurately predict real phenomenon, the math must work.

I read an article recently about a team of scientists who succeeded in getting a beam of light to travel slightly faster than the speed of light thru a specially prepared chamer of gases.

Answer 6

Entangled Particles react to each other at over 7 million times the speed of light..no matter how far apart they are.
Apparently Relativity is relative to some underlining principle...
The guy behind the curtain so to speak.
If you look at the funny way things work ...like the seeming necessity for us to observe something for it to perform certain ways..then you may conclude that Shakespeare was more right than Einstein.
(Paraphrase)..All the world is a stage and we are just actors, playing our part.
Bottom Line.......There is no speed limit...just people who think there is. Metaphorically speaking, we are all asleep at the wheel right now and we'll wake up when we get there.

Answer 7

The fact that the speed of light is the same regardless of motion is drawn from observation. What it highlights is the fact that the assumption that you can add speeds in the way you suggest is flawed. This flawed thinking arises because we do not encounter speeds where it matters often. Relativity corrects the flaw.

Answer 8

You've got your facts straight, but it seems to me that you're asking 'why' does light behave as it does, that is why is the speed of light the same no matter what the speed of its source is. Sorry to say that asking 'why' such fundamental phenomenon of our universe are the way they are has no answer. It's just the way our cosmos works.

Answer 9

It relates to the perspective of an observer, not how fast light moves compared to light going in the oppostie direction.

If you were going in one direction at 0.999 c (since it's impossible for you to travel at c), and you shone a flashlight behind you, the light would move away from you at c, not c plus 0.999c. To an outside observer, the light and you would separate at 1.999c.

And it relates to a point of reference. In comparing 2 moving things, we are talking about how fast they move from the point of origin, not compared to other moving things. That is 2 frames of reference, the observers and one of the beams.

Answer 10

I think the concept of infinity is worth consideration.