- #1
aguycalledwil
- 37
- 0
I've spent a large portion of my day trying to figure this out and I figured my best answer is likely to come from here. Forgive me if I'm wildly wrong about anything, I'm somewhat basic with physics, largely due to the fact that I'm 15 and my maths is limited to a GCSE level.
My dilemma is this. It is to my understanding that I can use the Lorentz factor to determine the magnitude of spatial contraction or time dilation. For example, if I wanted to find out how many of 'my' seconds a clock took to tick whilst hurtling along at half the speed of light, I could just use the Lorentz Factor as follows:
t'=1/√1-(1.5*10^8)/(3*10^8)
So then what are the full Lorentz transformations used for? If I can calculate the extent of a time dilation or a length contraction with the Lorentz Factor, what are the full transformations used to calculate, and how do I use them?
As aforementioned, I am very unexperienced and it could be that everything I have written is wrong. :P
My dilemma is this. It is to my understanding that I can use the Lorentz factor to determine the magnitude of spatial contraction or time dilation. For example, if I wanted to find out how many of 'my' seconds a clock took to tick whilst hurtling along at half the speed of light, I could just use the Lorentz Factor as follows:
t'=1/√1-(1.5*10^8)/(3*10^8)
So then what are the full Lorentz transformations used for? If I can calculate the extent of a time dilation or a length contraction with the Lorentz Factor, what are the full transformations used to calculate, and how do I use them?
As aforementioned, I am very unexperienced and it could be that everything I have written is wrong. :P