Question

Question 6: Relativity
a. How does the speed of light in a vacuum change when observed from a frame of reference that is accelerating versus a frame of reference that is moving at a constant velocity?

b. Which frames of reference can be studied using special relativity?

c. A stationary observer measures the lengths of two identical objects that are traveling at nearly the speed of light. Write 2 – 3 sentences explaining how the measurements can be used to determine which object is traveling faster.

Answer 1

a.

The speed of light is constant in any inertial frame of reference but when we observed light from a accelerating frame of reference then the light seems to follow a curve path so its its velocity seems to vary but ot still remains invariant

b.

In special theory of relativity we studied using the inertial frame of reference i.e. moving with constant velocity to our rest frame.

c.

From the principle of length contraction i.e. a consequence of special theory of relativity. It states when a body is moving with nearly speed of light than its length seems to be contacted when seen from the rest frame. More the speed more contraction in the length of object. So we can say that the more contracted the body the more speed it have in comparison to other body.