What is the light clock?
Q: What is the light clock?
A: The light clock is a device designed to demonstrate a basic feature of Special Relativity. It works by bouncing a flash of light off a distant mirror and using its return to trigger another flash of light, while counting how many flashes have occurred along the way.
Q: What is time dilation?
A: Time dilation is an effect that occurs when people on Earth watch a spaceship fly overhead with a light clock. They will see it ticking relatively slowly due to the effects of relativity.
Q: How can we calculate how much time slows on the spaceship?
A: We can use algebra and the Pythagorean theorem to calculate how much time slows on the spaceship. We need to apply the equation d = rt (distance equals rate times time) and use the constant speed of light c in two problems.
Q: How does the light clock work?
A: The light clock consists of a light output at the bottom of a long pole, with a mirror at top and an electronic detector at bottom. When it is started, one blink of light goes from bottom to top, where it reflects back down again when detected by the detector at bottom which adds one count to counter attached and fires another blink up again. This process continues until stopped or reset.
Q: What equation do we need for this calculation?
A: We need t' = 2a/(c√(1-r2/c2)) which states that t' (time between ticks on clock at North Pole) equals 2a/c divided by √(1-r2/c2). Where t = 1 second, if traveling at one half speed of light then t' = 1.1547 secs.
Q: What does Pythagorean theorem have to do with this calculation?
A: The Pythagorean theorem helps us figure out h (the hypotenuse), which is part of our equation for calculating how long each tick takes in seconds (d=ct). Knowing h allows us solve for t', which tells us how long each tick takes according to people on Earth watching from North Pole as well as those aboard ship itself travelling very fast over them
