ASTRON 1F03 Quiz: Special Relativity
Document Summary
Einstein"s response to the michelson- morley experiment that tried to detect the ether. Observations in relative motion observe space and time differently. Photons hit ends of box simultaneously according to observe a but not according to observer b. One tick of the clock according to a is a photon travelling vertically from floor to ceiling in time, t. according to b, this takes a time t" and photon travels at an angle due to train speed. So, moving clocks run slow by a factor, h=the lorentz factor. Muons are formed high up, 10-20km, in the earth"s atmosphere when cosmic rays hit air molecules. Even travelling at the speed of light they would travel under 0. 5km and yet we observe many hitting the ground. A typical muon might travel at 0. 9999c =70. From our perspective the muons decay is much (70 times) slower ~10-4 s un which time it can travel 32 and easily reach the ground.