Originally Posted By: Bill6
Imagine that you are looking at a light source located in your reference frame and some distance away from you. The source emits beams of light in opposite directions which, in a certain period of time as determined by your clock, travel identical distances away from that source:-

<----------•---------->

The source now starts accelerating across your line of vision and again emits beams of light in opposite directions which, in a certain period of time as determined by your clock, travel different distances away from their source:-

<---------------•----->

From your point of view, as a distant observer, the beams are moving at different speeds relative to you due to the fact that their source is accelerating.


Bill6, I know you said you were terminating your discussion in this thread, but I need some help getting my head around this, so I'm hoping you are still there.

I have no problem with the above quote up to the last sentence. You say: "...the beams are moving at different speeds relative to you...".

My interpretation of your second diagram would be that the two light beams are moving at the same speed relative to the observer, but appear to the observer to be moving at different speeds relative to the source. I'm quite prepared to believe I'm missing something, but I need to know what it is.

There never was nothing.