Hi all,
JONATHAN
> > The speed of light APPEARS constant when we measure it within the
same
> > frame of reference. If the observer and observed are in different
frames
> > of reference, the speed of light appears to be different.
>
RV
> This would be true in Galileo's relativity. In special relativity
however,
> the light appears to have the same speed regardless of your reference
> frame.
RV, I get the impression that you know the physics better than I do, so
please correct any errors. What I meant is that suppose we were
observing a light pulse going from A to B, 300 metres apart. Normally
the pulse would cover that distance in 1 microsecond.
However, if A-B were under a strong gravitational pull, the light would
appear to take longer than 1 microsecond (assuming that we were not
under the same gravity).
But if we were to check a stopwatch under the same gravity as A-B, we
would find that it registered 1 microsecond, even though our own
stopwatch registered a longer time.
Thus, time only has constant velocity within its own frame of reference.
When comparing different frames of reference, the constant speed of
light is an axiom. There's no *absolute* truth about this - it just
happens to be one of the (more useful) possible assumptions upon which
to base the comparisons. Without assumptions, you can never compare
anything to anything else!
Jonathan
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