Re: approaching "C"

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Article #8482

#8482

From: Ethan Tecumseh Vishniac
Date: Thu, 02 Feb 1989 15:19

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In article <EXtpzNy00WB9E0jnx8@andrew.cmu.edu>, rg20+@andrew.cmu.edu (Rick Francis Golembiewski) writes:
> Here's a question I've alaways wondered about relativity:
> Suppose there are two space ships, one going at .6 C (an attainable
> theoretical velocity)  and one going .6 in the opposite direction,
> what would observers inside each see?  

Each one would see the other receding at a velocity of 1.2/1.36 times
c.  Velocities do not add in the simple way you are used to.  The 
correct formula to apply involves dividing the sum by one plus the
product of the velocities (as fractions of c). 

-- 
 I'm not afraid of dying     Ethan Vishniac, Dept of Astronomy, Univ. of Texas
 I just don't want to be     {charm,ut-sally,ut-emx,noao}!utastro!ethan
 there when it happens.      (arpanet) ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
    - Woody Allen            (bitnet) ethan%astro.as.utexas.edu@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU

These must be my opinions.  Who else would bother?

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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!ethan
From: ethan@ut-emx.UUCP (Ethan Tecumseh Vishniac)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: approaching "C"
Summary: I may regret getting into this
Message-ID: <10116@ut-emx.UUCP>
Date: 2 Feb 89 15:19:18 GMT
References: <Added.UXtbE9y00Ui38CnU9S@andrew.cmu.edu> <EXtpzNy00WB9E0jnx8@andrew.cmu.edu>
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Lines: 22

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