two people are on a train, they will set their clock, on opposite ends of the train, to 12:00 when a flash is seen emitted from a bulb at the centre of the train, equidistant from each person. An observer watches from a platform, and says that the two events of setting the clock were NOT simultaneous while another observer says that they were. Since each viewpoint is equally valid, when the the people step off the train, what will their clocks actually read? is there a discrepancy or not?
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Anonymous2006-08-15 23:42
>>12 You're thinking about it wrong.
No, no, no. When I say that, I mean in the platform observer's reference frame. I realize full well that what actually happens is different in each frame, and that both viewpoints are equally "right" and valid; what you need to realize is that this has nothing to do with when they SEE these things happen. It does NOT have to do with observation, with the time it takes for light to get from the watches to the observers' eyes. It's not just what they see happen; it's actually happening differently in each frame.