What time is it?

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Motor Daddy said:
If you are at the midpoint of a plane in flight, and it is 12:00:00, what time is it at the front and rear of the plane?
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If you are sitting in the front of the plane and your time piece says 12:00:00, then that is what time it is for you. If you are at the rear of the plane and your time piece says 12:00:00, then that is what time it is for you. If you want to know what time it is at the front of the plane or rear of the plane, just go there and find out.

Besides, can you tell me what time is? Do you think that clocks and watches actually measure anything? If so, then can you describe the sensor or dectector that dectects time and allows this time thing to be measured?

Do time pieces have detectors or sensors?
 
Motor Daddy said:
If you are at the midpoint of a plane in flight, and it is 12:00:00, what time is it at the front and rear of the plane?
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Assuming that all clocks have been synchronised in a particular frame of reference (you choose - rest frame of the ground, plane, whatever) then they will remain sychronised in that frame. In a different frame they will not read the same time, due to the relativity of simultaneity.

Any other questions?
 
Pete said:
You seem to be either answering a different question, or not spelling out what you're thinking.

How do the ends of the plane know when the switch is activated? I'm guessing by a light signal?

So, how do the retuned timestamps tell you whether the clock at the front reads the same time as the clock at the back? I'm guessing you're also considering the time at which the signals are received.

Have you worked through the process? Have you worked out a calculation that starts from the time stamps received and when they were received, and gives you:
1) The time difference (if any) between the front and rear clocks
2) The speed of the plane

And have you allowed for time dilation and length contraction in those calculations?

(I have worked them out myself... it's a very interesting and informative exercise.)
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MD, this question is still waiting for a response. You have agreed that it is a simple exercise in arithmetic to calculate the absolute velocity of the plane, but you seem unwilling to follow through and actually perform the exercise.

I am willing to step you through it if you ask.
 
Pete said:
MD, this question is still waiting for a response. You have agreed that it is a simple exercise in arithmetic to calculate the absolute velocity of the plane, but you seem unwilling to follow through and actually perform the exercise.

I am willing to step you through it if you ask.
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Pete, your math will use time dilation and length contraction. Those only exist in Einstein's world. I don't live in Einstein's world, I live in reality.
 
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