All Questions
Tagged with speed-of-light inertial-frames
293
questions
-2
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0
answers
37
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Black hole production via light speed [duplicate]
As a test particle with rest mass approaches $c$ relativistic mass increases to infinity, does this mean that the energy required to continue the acceleration will create a black hole (as time also ...
- 31
2
votes
3
answers
127
views
Is a Lorentz transformation allowing an infinite value $c$ still a proper Lorentz transformation?
Is it correct to say that inertial systems are related by Lorentz transformations even if we do not know if the "invariant speed" is finite or infinite? To me, this is incorrect because $c$ ...
- 71
0
votes
1
answer
54
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Proof of the invariance of $c$ using the Lorentz group
Apologies if this question was already asked a few times but i could only find proofs of the invariance of $ ds^2 $.
Is there any way of proving the 2nd postulate (that $c$ is invariant in all ...
- 309
1
vote
2
answers
59
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Speed of light along $y$ and $z$ axes when there is relative motion
There are two coordinate systems. One is stationary and the other moves in the positive $x$-direction with a speed of $v$. I don't know how to interpret the $\sqrt{V^2 - v^2}$ term since light always ...
- 331
0
votes
1
answer
99
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Can light speed change relative to me?
If a light-emitting object is stationary relative to me, then the wavelength of the light emitted would be normal. However, if the object is moving away from me, then the wavelength of the light would ...
- 133
4
votes
3
answers
603
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Are energy-momentum relation equations still valid with speed of light?
I'm confused about the theory regarding the energy- momentum relation when I consider the speed of an object being $v = c$. Using for example the relations
$$E^2 = (pc)^2 + (m_0c^2)^2$$
$$E = \gamma_{...
- 111
4
votes
4
answers
632
views
Speed of light in Michelson-Morley experiment
The (failed) goal of the Michelson-Morley experiment was to detect the motion of the Earth with respect to the hypothetical ether. As far as I understand (e.g. from the exposition in Feynman’s ...
- 2,226
0
votes
2
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188
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The speed of light is constant?
In the proof that the speed of light is a constant we make the assumption that space at large scales is homogeneous, but there are patches of space where the density is higher and there are patches ...
- 165
3
votes
3
answers
1k
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Relativistic Light Velocity
I'm lay about relativity and I want to understand how does $c$ does not change between frames of reference.
Imagine a train of length $L_0$ at a relativistic speed and a light beam inside it. For an ...
0
votes
1
answer
64
views
Proper time vs null path
I've heard three seemingly contradictory facts, so apparently I'm not understanding at least one of them correctly.
"Proper time along a path is the time elapsed for a clock that travels along ...
- 113
0
votes
3
answers
127
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Time dilation questions [closed]
If we have two reference frames K and K' which are moving relative to one another, special relativity suggests that there would be time dilation. In K, time appears to pass slower in K', whereas in K' ...
- 75
1
vote
1
answer
108
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Relativistic Velocity-addition formula adds a scalar to a vector?
Sorry if this is a stupid question.
The formula for relativistic Velocity-addition is
$u = (v + u') / (1 + (vu'/c^2))$
It seems that v, v', u, and u' are vectors, while c is a scalar.
But 1 seems to ...
- 855
9
votes
2
answers
477
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Speed of light postulate in special relativity in inertial vs. non-inertial frames
I'm trying to learn special relativity by myself. I've been following this series of videos, plus some other articles I've managed to find online. At this point I'm already quite far into the theory, ...
- 540
2
votes
3
answers
147
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Relativity of Simultaneity - Why doesn't the train/lightning example contradict the absolute speed of light?
I know similar questions have been asked here before, but none of them seem quite to address my particular confusion.
I'm not afraid of math (I did well in calc III last semester, for example) but my ...
- 23
23
votes
7
answers
5k
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Is there a *geometric* explanation for why photons have no rest frame?
I've read the various threads on this site that talk about it being impossible for photons (or massless particles in general, really) to have a rest frame, and the answers all seem to boil down to &...
- 2,327