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2003-08-01 08:50:39 ET
in theory, i would be able to see them because the speed of light is constant.
Light ALWAYS travels at the speed of light, relative to you, me, or the guy on the sidewalk as you drive past. Imagine if instead of turning on your headlights, you were throwing a ball out of your window. Lets say that you are traveling 100 mph, and throw the ball 30 mph. The guy on the side of the road would see the ball pass him at 130 mph, right? You would see the ball flying forward at 30 mph, right? <--discounting wind resistance.
one of the things which makes relativity a little difficult to understand is the fact that this is NOT so for light. The man on the sidewalk would see your headlight beams fly past him at the speed of light, which is to say that he would assert that they never left the bulbs of your car, if indeed you were driving at the speed of light, also. He would be correct.
You, however, who were also moving at the speed of light along with your car, would assert that your headlight beams traveled away from you at the speed of light.
jesus, my brain hasn't put that much out since college..i hate the ball theory, but it's true |
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