Relativity Thought Experiment

[ihwip]

If there were a gigantic pair of ‘scissors’ in space where the distance between the short ends is 1 light second and the distance on the long ends is 2 light seconds. What happens in the various frames of reference when the short ends are brought together at the speed of .5c each? It would take a total of 1 second to close in this case. What would appear to happen from:<br /><br />The meeting point of the short ends?<br />The meeting point of the long ends?<br />The hinge?<br />Each of the 2 short ends?<br />Each of the 2 long ends?

 

[vogon13]

If I understand your question, the intersection point of the blades can move faster than light, and this 'thought experiment' has been discussed in the literature.<br /><br />Nothing material, ie the scissor blades, are moving faster than light, afterall, just the closing of the gap.<br /><br />From various angles of observations of the phenomena, the speed of light itself will 'interact' with your observation of the event, and mess up or magnify (IIRC) the +C appearance.<br /><br />Delineating those possibilities is making my brain hurt.<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[origin]

The meeting point of the short ends? <br />The short ends would come together slower than .5c because the relativistic mass of the long ends would increase preventing you from closing the short end at .5c.<br /><br />The meeting point of the long ends? <br />The long end would come together at less than c for the above mentioned reason.<br /><br />The hinge? <br />Same as above. <br /><br />Each of the 2 short ends? <br />There would be very mild relativistic effects so it would appear to you that you are traveling faster than to an outside observer.<br /><br />Each of the 2 long ends? <br />Assuming that you approached fairly close to c it would appear that you are traveling faster than light because of time dialation, an outside observer would see you as only approaching c. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[15203700700579]

What purpose could this thought experiment solve? I mean all it does is adress movement.