Motor Daddy
Valued Senior Member
A test of absolute motion.
An observer in a train synchronizes three clocks. He places one clock at one end of the train, one clock at the other end of the train, and returns to the midpoint of the train with one clock.
1. The observer looks at each end clock and sees the clocks as out of sync with his own clock. That is due to the fact that the end clocks are a distance away from his clock at the midpoint. Light takes time to travel, hence the observer will see the clocks on the end as reading differently than his own, even though the clocks actually remain synchronized.
2. If the train were to have an absolute zero velocity, the two end clocks would appear to the observer at the midpoint as being in sync with each other, but just reading differently than his own clock at the midpoint.
3. If the train were to have an absolute velocity of greater than zero, the two end clocks will appear to the observer at the midpoint as being out of sync with each other, and reading differently than his own clock at the midpoint.
An observer in a train synchronizes three clocks. He places one clock at one end of the train, one clock at the other end of the train, and returns to the midpoint of the train with one clock.
1. The observer looks at each end clock and sees the clocks as out of sync with his own clock. That is due to the fact that the end clocks are a distance away from his clock at the midpoint. Light takes time to travel, hence the observer will see the clocks on the end as reading differently than his own, even though the clocks actually remain synchronized.
2. If the train were to have an absolute zero velocity, the two end clocks would appear to the observer at the midpoint as being in sync with each other, but just reading differently than his own clock at the midpoint.
3. If the train were to have an absolute velocity of greater than zero, the two end clocks will appear to the observer at the midpoint as being out of sync with each other, and reading differently than his own clock at the midpoint.