Speed and Time

If you had read my problem, Sheep Speed, you would have read my formula $$S=\frac {v_1 + v_2}{1 + \frac {v_1 * v_2}{c^2}}$$. This is the actual formula to find the combined speed, rather than just $$S=v_1 + v_2$$ because of the fact that the faster you go, the slower time passes. This was proven by Albert Einstein through his theory of relativity. To give you an example, say there are two lasers pointed towards each other. According to $$S=v_1 + v_2$$, these lasers would be coming towards each other at twice the speed of light, which is currently impossible. But, if you use the equation $$S=\frac {v_1 + v_2}{1 + \frac {v_1 * v_2}{c^2}}$$, you would get an answer of the speed of light.

The reason people don't use this formula is because the difference is so minute that it hardly changes the answer. Also, people can be too lazy to learn about this. A physics misconception cleared up.

Note by Sharky Kesa
6 years, 10 months ago

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

• Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
• Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
• Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.

MarkdownAppears as
*italics* or _italics_ italics
**bold** or __bold__ bold
- bulleted- list
• bulleted
• list
1. numbered2. list
1. numbered
2. list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1paragraph 2

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

[example link](https://brilliant.org)example link
> This is a quote
This is a quote
    # I indented these lines
# 4 spaces, and now they show
# up as a code block.

print "hello world"
# I indented these lines
# 4 spaces, and now they show
# up as a code block.

print "hello world"
MathAppears as
Remember to wrap math in $$ ... $$ or $ ... $ to ensure proper formatting.
2 \times 3 $2 \times 3$
2^{34} $2^{34}$
a_{i-1} $a_{i-1}$
\frac{2}{3} $\frac{2}{3}$
\sqrt{2} $\sqrt{2}$
\sum_{i=1}^3 $\sum_{i=1}^3$
\sin \theta $\sin \theta$
\boxed{123} $\boxed{123}$

Sort by:

It was really informative!!

- 6 years, 9 months ago