in front of my assistant with my back facing the direction of travel (me looking at assistant who is facing me) and I turned on a flashlight pointed at him/her would he/she:
A. See no light at all
B. See a bright flash as the light passes them by
C. See a contiuously lit flash light
D. Wish they'd brought some Valium
If possible, please explain your answer. Thanks!
2007-03-22 08:58:59 · 11 answers · asked by krodgibami 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Result is C, but time needed to see the light is going to be only 1/3 of the time that would be needed if they were not moving at all (don't make me calculate now pls.).
If you were not moving the time would be: 10 ft/light speed.
If you were moving in a speed of light, light would start to flow toward your assistant with a regular speed and he would be going in opposite way with the same speed. they would meet on the half of the way. the time would be 5ft/ light speed
Since you're both moving double light speed, your assistant will move twice more than light itself and they're going to meet in 1/3 of regular time ( he will pass 2/3 of the way, and light only 1/3 )
2007-03-22 09:33:48 · answer #1 · answered by meow_bi 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok apparently i assumed you were the only one moving in this example....
I'm gonna go with A....
Since you are in theory going twice as fast backwards as the light from the flashlight is emanating forward, the light is going away from the viewer at the speed of light. In essence it's more like your assistant is the one shining the light away from him. (even if you were traveling at the speed of light and not twice the same might happen since the light from the flashlight never moves past where you started traveling, assuming you turned the flashlight on right at the time of travel or after)
2007-03-22 09:06:34 · answer #2 · answered by mackn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
any answer is correct because going faster than light is impossible so no one knows what could happen. The universe might end. You might see albert Einstein dancing the jig.
If you forget about that and assume that the same laws about the speed of light hold true, that it's constant for all observers.. your assistant would see the light as normal but they might see it for longer than you think they should.
2007-03-22 09:08:50 · answer #3 · answered by Louis G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your assistant would see you move slower and slower as you approached the speed of light until it seemed you became non-moving, frozen - you OTOH would see the world become faster and faster until you observed the destruction of the world, the collapsing of the stars and watched the destruction/collapse of the universe into a singularity - along with yourself
if the light was on as you entered your imaginary time-space continuum propelling you beyond the speed of light, the light would look similar - i do seem to recall hearing that the light would slowly fade for the observer as you approached the speed of light
read stephen hawking's "a brief history of the universe" it's a great book and very reader friendly and easy to understand
2007-03-22 09:06:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you would have been too fast for anything to see you. Not even a slow-motion camera would see you because it can not capture the picture of you moving, due to you moving faster than light. If you were in an endless hallwall, or some vast desert, you would have seemingly disappeared. If you were in a room, then your body would be splattered all over the wall in an instant. I hope this helps.
2007-03-22 09:05:39 · answer #5 · answered by McWalmart 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are both of you moving at the hypothetical speed? If so, then I think the answer is C as, relative to each other, there is no motion. Light would then behave normally.
2007-03-22 09:11:17 · answer #6 · answered by Don E 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The answer is C. The speed of light is constant no matter what speed you are going. If you are going the speed of light, then the speed of light would be double the speed of light.
2007-03-22 09:02:36 · answer #7 · answered by otherwisefallen 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
most likely A. Because it's faster than the speed of light. This does not seem possible.
2007-03-22 09:01:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is, ironically, C. The speed of the light is constant for all observers, so regardless of your velocity, if you are both moving at the same, constant velocity it will look exactly as it would if you were at rest.
2007-03-22 09:01:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
C, but the light would be slightly delayed in coming on.
2007-03-22 09:05:11 · answer #10 · answered by JaniesTiredShoes 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋