January 7, 2005
FOR WANT OF A C:
Relativity for dummies (Aida Edemariam, January 6, 2005, Guardian)
First, it's not an entirely original concept: Galileo used a kind of relativity to explain why we're not all swept off the earth as it rotates. Imagine a moving ship, he said; within that ship, everything functions as though you're on dry land (or, if you're worried about wave motion, try a train). Einstein's observation was that the passage of time, which everyone had always simply assumed is constant and immutable, is not: it's the speed of light that is.
It seemed smart while it lasted, anyway. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 7, 2005 12:33 PM
A light on a moving platform would advance at the speed of light relative to the platform. Regardless if the platform approached the speed of light. Never catch up to the light.
An observer on a separate platform would see the light extinguished as it approached the speed of light.
I spilled some Scotch so will continue after I clean up the keyboard.
Posted by: Tom Wall at January 7, 2005 2:22 PMThe speed of light is constant in a vacuum. It moves faster or slower through other media (cesium gas is the only medium I know of where it travels faster than c).
Your link is interesting except for forgetting that rather obvious point.
Posted by: Ben Lange at January 7, 2005 6:02 PMOJ on science is like Michael Newdow on religion.
Posted by: Bart at January 7, 2005 6:09 PMThat would be great if there were vacuums
Posted by: oj at January 7, 2005 6:10 PMMr. Judd;
What's next, throwing out kinetics because there are no frictionless surfaces?
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at January 7, 2005 9:01 PMIs there a cosmic constant of friction? Because if there is it's wrong.
Posted by: oj at January 7, 2005 9:20 PMTom, Ben do yourself a favor, do not try to educate OJ on science. He is completely defended against the subject. Read the thread he linked above it was OJ at his best "science is just another superstition."
There was some old bit of folk wisdom about not trying to put a party dress on a pig. It agravates the pig, gets you dirty and tired and tears up the dress.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at January 7, 2005 10:06 PMRelativity is not violated if the value of c has changed over billions of years.
Posted by: AML at January 8, 2005 12:09 AM