If I want to exercise the best physics I would say I cannot answer John M's
revised question. His revised question still says "when" and that is not
appropriate. I like John D's wording... "tilt... game over."
Regardless. I'll go ahead and bite on the questions.
For Q1 I say... I can't answer... this is an invalid question.
For Q2 I say the wording differs in two ways. I'll state each difference
and answer Q3 for each.
(difference 1) the revision says Jane is moving with respect to Peter
whereas the original says Peter is moving with respect to Jane. This does
not make a difference. These are equivalent phrases.
(difference 2) the revision removes the word "observe" from two places.
This would appear to be an attempt to remove the idea of observations and
switch the context to what the clocks are actually doing. This doesn't make
any sense to me. Each clock is doing what it's supposed to do. Peter's
clock is keeping accurate time in his frame and Jane's clock is keeping
accurate time in her frame. There isn't any "relativity effect" until we
start making observations and comparing them. To make these observations
and comparisons we have to observe and record the positions and times of
events. In the original question the events are poorly described. In the
revised question the events are even more poorly described. "When Peters
clock has made one revolution." What does that mean? In space-time it
means nothing to me. Peter can observe that his clock has made one
revolution. Peter and his clock are at some coordinate in space-time as
Peter makes this observation. If a signal is sent to Jane from that
space-time coordinate to indicate Peter has made this observation, she can
observe her clock as she receives that signal. Assuming her clock agreed
with Peter's clock for some other space time event (i.e. the synchronization
event) her reading of her clock when she notices Peter has read his clock
will yield a different reading than what Peter read on his clock. The
Lorentz transformation allows both parties to figure out what time each
recorded for this event.
When Peter's clock has made one revolution???? As John Denker said...
"whose when are we talking about?"
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817