- #1
stevmg
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Say that two mirrors are 3 ltyr apart and perfectly facing each other. Say they approach at 0.6c (relative to a "stationary" observer)
M1---------------->0.6 0.6<----------------M2
If a lightbeam is flashed at M1 towards M2 and bounces back and forth until the mirrors cross each other, how far will the light beams travel and how long will it take for the light beams to travel until the mirrors do cross.
This is a variant of the hummingbird-approaching trains problem but now we have relativity mixed in.
Maybe this belongs in the homework section, so, if so, please move it there.
My answer is 2.72 years... is that correct? If we were Newtonian or Galilean it would be 2.5 years.
stevmg
M1---------------->0.6 0.6<----------------M2
If a lightbeam is flashed at M1 towards M2 and bounces back and forth until the mirrors cross each other, how far will the light beams travel and how long will it take for the light beams to travel until the mirrors do cross.
This is a variant of the hummingbird-approaching trains problem but now we have relativity mixed in.
Maybe this belongs in the homework section, so, if so, please move it there.
My answer is 2.72 years... is that correct? If we were Newtonian or Galilean it would be 2.5 years.
stevmg
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