Re: [Phys-l] how to explain relativity

[William Maddox <maddox@physics.Auburn.EDU>]

From: WC Maddox

Here is another way of stating the issue: " Since they have the* same* 
*proper* accelerations their speeds should be equal at all times 
(relative to Earth frame) so they should stay a constant distance apart 
(in Earth frame). But after a time they will acquire a large velocity so 
the distance between them (and rope?) should suffer Lorentz contraction 
(in Earth frame). Which is it?"
This is from a reference in Wikipedia article.

End Message



On 6/17/2010 7:50 AM, Jeffrey Schnick wrote:
> John,
> You seem to be solving a different problem.  There's is an inertial
> reference frame O in which the two spaceships, one in front of the
> other, are initially at rest.  There is a rope stretched from the tail
> of the spaceship in front (point A) to the nose of the other spaceship
> (point B).  At time zero in that frame both spaceships start
> accelerating.*/The way I read the problem, the spacecraft are stipulated
> to accelerate in such a manner that the projected (onto frame O)
> separation of point A and point B never changes.  You have them/*
> accelerating such that an accelerometer on the tail of the lead
> spaceship always has the same reading as an accelerometer on the nose of
> the trailing spacecraft.  That's a different problem.
>
>
>