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Tech Head - The Technology Section
Einstein's Alcove
The speed of light
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<blockquote data-quote="PaulR" data-source="post: 305499" data-attributes="member: 176256"><p>This is bit difficult as some of the answer is not intuitive (but not nearly as not-obvious as when we deal with answers to quantum theory!).</p><p></p><p>The first thing is that Einstein postulated is that speed is always relative. Next he said that the speed of light is fixed and, therefore, other factors must change if it appears that the speed of something would be faster.</p><p></p><p>So, inside the spaceship the light will leave the torch at a speed of 300,000 km/sec relative to yourself inside the ship. If the light goes outside of the ship then to an observer as the ship goes past it's still travelling at 300,000 km/sec but what has changed is the colour of the light. This is the Doppler shift in action (think train whistle changing note as it speeds towards you and then goes past).</p><p></p><p>As for the starting point of the universe I think it's been covered in another post in this section.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="PaulR, post: 305499, member: 176256"] This is bit difficult as some of the answer is not intuitive (but not nearly as not-obvious as when we deal with answers to quantum theory!). The first thing is that Einstein postulated is that speed is always relative. Next he said that the speed of light is fixed and, therefore, other factors must change if it appears that the speed of something would be faster. So, inside the spaceship the light will leave the torch at a speed of 300,000 km/sec relative to yourself inside the ship. If the light goes outside of the ship then to an observer as the ship goes past it's still travelling at 300,000 km/sec but what has changed is the colour of the light. This is the Doppler shift in action (think train whistle changing note as it speeds towards you and then goes past). As for the starting point of the universe I think it's been covered in another post in this section. [/QUOTE]
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Tech Head - The Technology Section
Einstein's Alcove
The speed of light
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