Frames of reference - lets learn about time dilations

Ok small confession, in a another timeline is was a physicist and what got me really engaged was the idea of light, time and other dilations. We might not get through it all at once, i tried this before and bit off to much so lets start with frames of reference.

What does all this mean? Well thats what in hoping to briefly explore and run through some thought experiments that might help explore this :)

Ok thought experiments are mental experiments where we think about what ifs and see where it lands us.

Ok lets get our creative hats on!

Now imagine you and your friend are on a baot sitting still and your throwing a ball back and worth, bit like the friends episode were they can't drop the ball. You a pretty good at this and can throw the ball at 5km an hour back and forth. We all agree the ball is going 5 km forward 5 km back.

Ok now the boat is moving smoothly at 10km an hour. Someone asks you how fast your ball is going and you say.. 5km? I mean the ball is still moving between you at the same speed. You and your friend both agree its still 5 km back and forth.

But I am sitting on a dock watching you guys go and someone asks me how fast that ball is moving, i was well the boat is 10km/h and my friend is throwing it forward at 5km and his mate returns it at 5km backwards, so to me and my frame of reference the ball moves forward at 15km (10km from the boat plus 5km from the throw) and 5 km forward when throwing back ( 10km forward from the boat and 5 km backwards from the throw back) so to me the ball changes speed but always moves forward, to my friends on the boat its back and forth.

Both are valid, both are true, there is no one true reference frame.

Don't believe me? How fast are you going right now? Ok now think about an astronaut watching from space, how fast does he think your going? Ok now an alien watch from our solar system? Or a diffrent galaxy? All of these a true and none are wrong and in most examples this does not matter except if we hit a hard wall... that walls name is light and hopefully we can explore it soon.

Posted with STEMGeeks