Physics

whosyadaddy

Hi everyone, I have a quick question. Something popped into my mind the last time I was on a flight, and I was wondering number 1 if it is correct, and number 2 what division of physics am I talking about....

ok, lets say for instance I am on a plane, its traveling at 600mph, now I suppose in actual fact, I am traveling at 600mph as the plane is carrying me, however to the person sitting beside me, I am stationary...who is correct? I suppose this is relative...

Now lets say, I walk to the back of the plane and run from the back to the front, am I traveling, at any moment, faster than the plane? or if I run from the front to the back, am I traveling slower? the same goes from throwing an object up/down the plane...

apply this same situation to a train traveling at a constant speed, direction...

sorry if this all sounds a bit crazy! Ive started reading a physics related book recently, and I find it very interesting. Only wish I had do it for the Leaving cert.

Civilian_Target

whosyadaddy wrote:

Hi everyone, I have a quick question. Something popped into my mind the last time I was on a flight, and I was wondering number 1 if it is correct, and number 2 what division of physics am I talking about....

ok, lets say for instance I am on a plane, its traveling at 600mph, now I suppose in actual fact, I am traveling at 600mph as the plane is carrying me, however to the person sitting beside me, I am stationary...who is correct? I suppose this is relative...

Yep. This is what the theory of relativity is based on! You're stationary, and you see the other person to be stationary, but to an observer on the ground you seem to move at 400mph, and to an observer in a train on the ground going the opposite direction you appear to be moving at 500mph. Not only that, but each of your perceptions of time and distance will be different too. In fact, the only thing you all have in common is that you all see light moving at the same speed.

Now lets say, I walk to the back of the plane and run from the back to the front, am I traveling, at any moment, faster than the plane? or if I run from the front to the back, am I traveling slower? the same goes from throwing an object up/down the plane...

Well, it makes sense that if you run up the main corridor of a train you'll appear, for the point of view (the technical term for this is 'reference frame') of someone on the platform, that you are moving more quickly than the train, because you're moving more quickly than all the other passengers on the train. This particular feature is called the 'Lorentz transformation'

Here's a simple introduction to the whole concept, and the history behind it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_special_relativity

Spear

Scratch my answer then, it's redundant.

whosyadaddy

Thanks very much, Im didnt consider myself one for physics, but its actually quite interesting....