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You have an ideal telescope that can see objects 100 light years away just like they are next door. Assume a spaceship 100 light years away on Planet-X is launched toward you at 99% of the speed of light (call this time t=0 years) At what time will you SEE the rocket coming toward you?
Now
t=100 years (later)
t=100
t=101 years
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Assume that the rocket continues straight toward you from Planet-X for its whole journey, traveling at 99% of the speed of light. When will it arrive on Earth?
t=99 years
t=100 year
t=101 years
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So, using the answers to the last two questions, how long does it LOOK like the rocket takes to get to you?
100 years
1 year
99 years
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How fast does it look like the rocket is moving?
100 times the speed of light
AT the speed of light
Just below the speed of light
99% of the speed of light
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Now that the rocket has arrived, let's reset our clock to t=0, right as the rocket goes back home to Planet-X, 100 light years away. Again, it travels at 99% of the speed of light. When will the rocket make it back home?
t=100 years
t=101 years
t=202 years
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When will we SEE the rocket get home?
t=101 years
t=201 years
t=202 years
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On the return trip, how fast does it LOOK like the rocket is going?
At the speed of light
100 times the speed of light
49.75% of the speed of light
The following questions on the quiz is where SpoonFedRelativity.com breaks with the philosophy of traditional books and articles on Relativity Theory. These questions have clear common-sense answers. Unfortunately, due to a tradition dating back to Mach and Einstein, it is commonly argued that observer-dependency is "not good physics." So these questions, regarding the observations of the traveling observer, are regularly omitted from introductory texts on relativity, creating unnecessary confusion.
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Now imagine things from the rocket view-point. How fast does he see the earth approaching on the first part of the trip?
At 100 times the speed of light
At 49.75% of the speed of light
At 99% of the speed of light
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From on-board the rocket, how fast will the Earth appear to be moving, as the rocket is going back home?
49.75% of the speed of light
At 99% of the speed of light
At 100 times the speed of light
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The rocket travels each way at 99% of the speed of light, 100 light years in both direction. Which part of the journey takes more time?
The first 100 light-years, toward the earth
The latter 100 light years, toward Planet-X
They both take the same amount of time
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From the perspective of an observer on earth, which part of the trip LOOKS like it takes more time?
The trip toward Earth
The trip toward Planet-X
They are both the same
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From the point of view of the rocket, how far did the Earth APPEAR to move during each part of the trip?
The earth appeared to move further during the earth-bound trip.
The earth appeared to move further during the trip back.
The earth appeared to move the same distance on during both parts of the trip.
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What happens to the image of Planet-X when the rocket accelerates toward it?
The image of the Planet-X jumps back
The image of the Planet-X jumps forward
The image of the Planet-X stays at the same place
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The apparent location of the image is the same as the location of
An event that happened to the object
The object
An illusion of the object
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If two observers (at roughly the same location, but traveling at different velocities) are observing the same event at the same time, they will both agree on the distace to that event.
True
False
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The mathematical tool that can be used to compare where an event is located relative to two different observers traveling at the different velocities is called
The Lorentz Transformation
The Galilean Transformation
A rotation transformation