sci.physics.relativity

In article
<0bf653ae-66ec-48fc-a299-3a60fe68803c@>,
mitchgrav@ wrote:

> On Feb 12, 9:53 am, José Carlos Santos wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Could someone please explain me a relativistic paradox? To be more
> > precise I would like to know why it is not a paradox. It is described on
> > the first two pages of J. S. Bell's article "How to teach special
> > relativity". These two pages can be found here:
> >
> > /books?id=FGnnHxh2YtQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=...
> >
> > What I fail to understand is why is it that "B [...] sees C drifting
> > further and further behind". How can that be possible? After all, "B and
> > C [...] have identical acceleration programmes".
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Jose Carlos Santos
>
> The first paradox of Special Relativity is that Einstein's fast train
> will see the station's clock running slower than its and at the same
> time when passing the station the station will see the trains clock
> going slower than its. Both clocks are going slower than the other.
> This is the paradox that disproves relative motion. Only the train is
> moving. This can be verified because only the train is an accelerating
> frame experiencing weight from its change of motion to reach its
> speed.

You are a passenger on the train, who just awoke from a nap (you were
sleeping when the train accelerated to the constant speed it has at the
time you awake). By what means can you tell unambiguously that it is
you that is moving, not the scene you see out the window next to your
seat?


>
> Mitch Raemsch Twice Nobel Laureate 2008