Thursday, November 10, 2005

Opening remarks

So finally I opened an account! The main purpose of this blog is to record the flash ideas that I get from time to time. The other purpose is to express my outrage against irrationalism and pretentiousness. Yet another reason for this page is to post questions that keep vexing me, hoping that someone will answer them. So let me start with the last one first. Here is a question that is bothering me for last few weeks. If you know the answer, please let me know.

There are two iron platforms A and B. B is moving to the right along A with velocity v. Two events happen on two different places of the platforms that leave permanent marks on both platforms and send sound signals along the iron platforms. The marks on platform A are X and Y and marks on platform B are P and Q. Observers L on platform A and M on platform B monitor the events. L finds that he is exactly at the midpoint between X and Y. Also L received the sound signals from X and Y simultaneously. M finds that he is exactly at the mid point between P and Q. My questions are as follows.
Why shouldn’t M find the events at P and Q simultaneous, since the speed of sound is constant through iron and since M is stationary with respect to the iron media carrying on the sound signal?

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