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Re: Variable speed of light



At 4:10 PM +0200 4/29/03, Pentcho Valev wrote:

Just a small remark (later I hope to be able to write more). In textbooks, one
finds essentially the following statement: "While clocks in the rest frame
tick 5 times, clocks on the (very fast) train tick only once". Doesn't this
mean that t' < t? If it doesn't, textbooks appear to be fatally confused.

Pentcho

This interpretation of the delta t's and the Lorentz equations is
quite common among those who are first plowing into the intricacies
of SR.

In your example t' = 5 t because the INTERVAL between ticks has been
stretched (according to the outside observer).

Of course EACH of the two observers sees the other's clock running
slow. This also causes some head-scratching for those getting there
toes immersed.

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