dimand

This is a problem using the same train and torch concept. I have thought about it for hours and still cannot think of a solution.:doh: :doh: It is highly likely that someone else will see it straight away. A person is standing on a train, which is travelling from east to west at 10m/s. That person has a torch, which they are shining directly north. The speed of light is a constant of c where c approximately = 300000000m/s Since the prorogation of light is not affected by the velocity from its creation I am going to assume that the beam of light emitted only has velocity in the north direction. That is it is not travelling west at 10m/s and north at c. this is impossible as it would give the speed of light to be greater than c to any stationary observers looking down on the train (lets say that observer A is in a helicopter, hovering above the ground and watching the train go past below). Should the light gain this velocity to the east observer A would be seeing the impossible, even though the path of light wild appear to be propagating directly north from the train, it would have to have a greater velocity than c, impossible. With this in mind it can be deduced, that after 1 second, the light from the train is 300000km away from its initial point of creation, bout the person on the train is 10 m away from that point. This means that observer A is seeing the light emerge from the side of the train at a slight angle to the east and the value of c is not broken. This then must be the same for the person on the train, as he is in a true frame of reference (not accelerating). Therefore he must see the light emitted at a slight angle to the east (these angles will be very small by the way, to small for the eye to see). This is my real problem. The person on the train is now seeing light, seeming to travel faster than possible (for the same reason as the helicopter person saw it travelling faster earlier. In one second it appears to him to have travelled the 300000km and the 10m east. So I thought, answer to this problem. Time dilation. If the time frame on the train could speed up (or to timeframe on the earth slow down, it doesn’t really mater). Then the person will see the light travel the 300000km and a bit in one and a bit seconds, no problem. But wait. Velocity = distance/time. The value of time on the train has speed up and therefore become smaller eg. 1 second is now 0.99 seconds. By this there must be an increased velocity and by this increased velocity, the angle of the light propagating from the train will increase, causing further time dilation, causing the trains velocity to continue to increase to the speed of light :( :eek_big: (where the angle of propagation of light is 0 degrees). This does not happen. I have seen people seen people shine lights out the sides of trains. So what is happening to stop the person on the train seeing light travel faster than c?:hihi: There are numerous other solutions I have thought about including length contraction, but it remains a mystery to me. Should someone solve the problem I would be very grateful if they could enlighten me.:) :) if i could draw diagrams on this it would help me explain, but i haven't figuerd out how.:shrug: thanx for any help

My first post: have to make an introductory post so here it is. hi everyone, i'm a year 12 high school student fom australia (currently doing my HSC) main reason i have joind is to ask for help with a relitivity problem that i cannot work out.