little question on space (1 Viewer)

[metalicarulez]

You are in a spaceship heading, you think, in free motion towards Pluto, however you are far from any reference point to check your progress. Suddenly a comet approaches from behind and overtakes you, heading in the same direction. Which of the following interpretations of events is correct and how could you tell? :

a) The comet is also travelling towards Pluto but at a higher speed.
b) Your spaceship is stationary but the comet is heading towards Pluto.
c) The comet is stationary and you are travelling away from Pluto
d) You are both travelling away from Pluto, but you have a higher speed.

ok i'm totally lost here how can you tell which one is correct if you don't even know where your heading for sure?

 

[...]

wtf..


where did u find this question?

 

[Dash]

Originally posted by metalicarulez
ok i'm totally lost here how can you tell which one is correct if you don't even know where your heading for sure?

Yeh I know what you mean!
All possibilities are potentially a solution when the direction of the shaceship is not known for certain.
This question is fuxed... who gave it to you?

 

[metalicarulez]

its a jacaranda question ~

tryin to finish the last topic blah i'm going alrite then this pops up and im like err.. wtf ?

 

[Dash]

Originally posted by metalicarulez
its a jacaranda question ~

tryin to finish the last topic blah i'm going alrite then this pops up and im like err.. wtf ?

Screw it and go to the next one I say

 

[metalicarulez]

ok heres the next one

How could you tell if your spacecraft, far from any planet or star, is standing still or travelling with a uniform velocity? What is the name given to this idea?

ermm wot do i do here

is this the answer : "you cannot tell because as the principle of relativity states, you cannot perform any mechanical experiment or obnservation that would reveal to you whether you were moving with uniform velocity or standing still. The idea is called the principle of relativity."

 

[Constip8edSkunk]

yeah stupid wordings... assuming it means the most correct statement based on observation and given info for the first q, D contradicts the original info( one says travelling away, one says towards pluto) Both B and C are possiblities taht you cannot determine without reference. (but hang on, if you are travelling towards pluto, you arent stationary...from an external reference pt, but from the ship, you are always stationary...) so if this appeared in an exam, id choose A... but STUPID QUESTION.

as for relativity. the concept is that there is no absolute frame where all things can be jusdged. they are all relative depending on the observer's frame of reference

eg. imagine a boy was in a car travelling in a constant speed, v, past a girl standing still, as it appears to an third person. to the boy, he would appear to be stationary and the girl moving past him at 'v', while the girl sees the boy moving past her at 'v'. all these observations are valid, as they are all in an inertial frame of reference(non-accelerating frame). this could mean that the observer within an inertial frame is stationary or moving at a constant velocity(depending on the perspective)

back to the point, relative motion are determined by reference points. from the previous example, the boy would compare the car's interior with the girl to judge that the girl is moving while the girl would relate the boy with the footpath or her surroundings to determine that the boy is moving.

it follows that if there are no reference points, then you cannot judge your motion as motion is a RELATIVE quality.