Speed of Stationary Objects
Speed of Stationary object
If you are standing with both feet on the ground in front of your house, how far did you and your house move in
the past 24 hours? Are you going:
A - 0 Miles Per Hour
B - up to 1,000 Miles Per Hour
C - both A and B
D - 67,000 plus or minus 1,000 Miles Per Hour
F - all of the above.
The correct answer is F.
Logically, you must think that is absurd. There isn’t any way for a person to be standing still with both feet firmly
on the ground, in front of their house and still be moving. Would it help you deal with the question if I said that
you and your house are standing on the equator or on the north pole? We all know that the earth is spinning
around it’s axis. At the equator, the rate of rotation is about 1,000 MPH. At the poles, the rotation is zero. At
about 40 degree north or south, the speed is about 750 MPH.
Now think about the question with that additional information. If you are standing on the equator, with both feet
on the ground, in front of your house, at sea level, holding some test equipment, how fast are you going?
It should be easy to understand that C is obviously a correct answer if you include the words describing the
relative point of reference. For answer A, relative to the ground, you are moving 0 mph. For answer B, relative to
the center of the earth, you are moving about 1,000 mph. That is because the surface of the earth, at sea level,
at the equator is moving about 1,000 mph relative to the center of the earth. Note that I said “at sea lever”. If
you were on the top floor of 10 story building, the distance from the center of the earth to the 10 floor of the
building is greater than the distance at sea level. Since the distance is greater, the circumference of the circle is
greater which results in a greater distance to go in the same amount of time which results in a greater speed for
the person standing on the 10th floor of the building with some test equipment.
A person standing at 40 degree north or south is moving at about 750 mph relative to the center of the earth
while a person standing at the north or south pole is moving 0 mph relative to the center of the earth as well as
0 mph relative to the surface of the earth. Suppose we have 4 people, with the same type of test equipment,
who are standing at the 4 main points I described; one at sea level at the equator, one on the 10 floor of a
building at sea level on the equator, one at 40 degree north and one at the north pole. Now suppose the 4
people can see each other and they can see each other’s test equipment. All 4 will say that they are all moving 0
mph relative to each other and to the surface of the earth and to the test equipment. However; we also know
that three of the people and their test equipment are moving at three different speeds relative to the center of
the earth. In one hour, the person on the north pole will simply rotate. The person at 40 degree north will move
about 750 miles while the person at the equator will move about 1,000 miles and the person with test equipment
on the 10th floor will move a little more than the person on the ground.
Relative to the center of the earth and the surface of the earth, the following table summarizes the relative MPH
and distance moved in a day and a year at different points on the earth.
Point of reference Location of person MPH Miles moved in a day Miles moved in a year
Earth surface north pole 0 0 0
Earth surface 41 degree north 0 0
Earth surface equator 0 0 0
Center of the earth north pole 0 0 0
Center of the earth 41 degree north 783 18,792 6,863,778
Center of the earth equator 1,038 24,912 9,099,108
Now we should return to the original question. We still have answer D to address. It says: 67,000 plus or minus
1,000 Miles Per Hour. Most people know that it takes just over 365 days for the earth to go around the sun.
Some people know the earth is moving at a speed of about 67,000 mph as it goes around the sun.
With that additional information, it should be easy for most people to understand that they are riding on the
earth that is moving at a speed of about 67,000 mph relative to the sun while they are moving 0 mph relative to
the surface of the earth. It should also be easy for people to understand that they are also moving up to 1,000
mph relative to the center of the earth. It takes a little more explanation to address the difference between the
night time speed vs the day time speed. Since the earth is spinning while it goes around the sun, the speed of a
point on the earth surface is going with the direction of the earth’s movement half of the time and it is going
against the direction of the earth’s movement the other half of the time. Hence, the speed of a person relative to
the sun being 67,000 mph plus or minus up to 1,000 mph. It is important to note that the speed of the point on
earth relative to the sun is either accelerating or decelerating as it proceeds from dusk to dawn. The maximum
addition or subtraction is at the middle of the day and night. The minimum addition or subtraction is near dusk
and dawn. This is basic information that should be easily understood by everybody. In the past it was hard to
convenience anyone that the earth is moving. Today the earth’s movement is readily accepted.
Now it should be easy for anyone to understand that a person, standing next to some test equipment,
someplace on earth, is moving 0 mph relative to the point on the surface of the earth where they are standing,
as well as up to about 1,000 mph relative to the center of the earth, and about 67,000 mph plus or minus about
1,000 mph relative to the sun. That means, anyone who is reading this while they are standing or sitting on
earth is moving a distance of about 67,000 miles plus about 1,000 miles. In a day, they move a distance of about
1,608,000 miles plus about 24,000 miles for a total of about 1,632,000 miles. If you eat at the same place on
Monday and then went back on Tuesday, you will have traveled over one and a half a million miles between lunch
on the two days. If the person was standing next to some test equipment, the equipment is also moving the
same speed and has covered the same distance in one day.
Relative to the sun, the center of the earth and the surface of the earth, the following table summarizes the
relative MPH and distance moved in a day and a year at different points on the earth.
Point of reference Location of person MPH Miles moved in a day Miles moved in a year
Earth surface north pole 0 0 0
Earth surface 41 degree north 0 0
Earth surface equator 0 0 0
Center of the earth north pole 0 0 0
Center of the earth 41 degree north 783 18,792 6,863,778
Center of the earth equator 1,038 24,912 9,099,108
Center of the Sun north pole 67,000 1,608,000 587,322,000
Center of the Sun 41 degree north 67,000 1,626,792 594,185,778
Center of the Sun equator 67,000 1,632,912 596,421,108
Now lets consider sound. Suppose some people are in a box on the equator at sea level and the temperature is
59 degrees Fahrenheit and one person talks to another person. Since the box is at the equator it is going about
239 mph faster than the speed of sound, will the second person be able to hear the first person talking? How
can the people in the box hear each other since they are going faster than the speed of sound? The speed of the
sound in the box is relative to the box. Hence; relative to the surface of the earth, they are not moving while
they are talking. However; relative to the center of the sun, they are moving 67,000 MPH which is about 88 times
the speed of sound. From this we see that the speed of sound is relative. So, relative to the surface of the earth,
the speed the sound, in the box with people and test equipment inside, is about 761 mph. However; relative to
the center of the earth, the speed of sound in the box is between, 1,761 mph and a minus -239 mph. Relative to
the sun, the sound is moving at about 67,761, plus or minus up to about 1,000 mph. That shows that the
variation in the speed of the test equipment and the speed of sound relative to the sun is greater that the speed
of sound relative to the surface of the earth.
Now let’s suppose a person, with some test equipment, is riding on a train that is going 100 mph. How fast is
that person moving relative to the sun? The answer to that question depends upon the direction of the train and
the time of night or day.
That person will be going some variable speed between 67,000 mph plus or minus 1,000 mph plus or minus 100
mph. That gives a variable speed of the person riding a train moving 100 mph some where between 65,900 mph
and 668,100 mph. That is because the speeds are additive relative to the sun. The 67,000 mph speed of the
earth moving around the sun plus or minus the accelerating or decelerating speed of the surface of the earth as it
goes between dusk and dawn plus or minus the speed of the train gives us up to 2,200 mph difference in the
variable speed.
Now let’s suppose there is a bowling alley on the train and the person is about to roll the bowling ball. Suppose
the person walks at 5 mph and rolls the ball at 45 mph. How fast is the ball going relative to the sun? The ball is
accelerating or decelerating somewhere between 65,850 and 68,150 mph relative to the sun. That is because all
the speeds are additive and the speed of a point on the earth’s surface is changing speed as it moves between
dusk and dawn. Although the point in space where the person rolled the ball remains constant, the bowling pin
are moving with the train and the surface of the earth relative to it’s movement around the sun. The time it takes
for the ball to arrive at the pins remains constant although the distance the ball moves is considerable greater
than the length of the bowling alley on the train. The distance from the person who rolls the ball to the pins
relative to the train remains fixed while that distance relative to the sun is very great and is variable depending
upon the time of day and direction of the train.
Remember the test equipment I keep mentioning. Now suppose a person is conducting an experiment to
determine the speed of light while riding on a train going 1,000 mph. on the surface of the earth that is moving at
some accelerating or decelerating speed up to 1,000 mph somewhere between dusk and dawn and the earth is
moving 67,000 mph around the sun and those speeds are additive. We have also already determined that the
speeds of moving objects on the train are additive to the speed of the train relative to the sun. We know the
distance between points A and B on the train are constantly moving at a greater speed or a lesser speed relative
to the sun while they remain constant relative to the train. Suppose two virtually identical tables are setup
similar to the tables used in the Michelson-Morley experiment. It is an example of measuring the speed of light at
186,300 miles per second using a table that could turn to check the speed going different direction and always
gives the same result. In their experiments the table was riding on the surface of the earth that is moving. We
simply add the condition of the experiment being on the train that is moving at 1,000 mph on earth that is
rotating at while it is going around the sun. We use two tables that are geared to test the speed of light in
opposite directions at the same time.
How fast is the speed of light on each table on the moving train on the spinning earth that is going around the
sun? We have already established that the answer is relative to a point of reference. Relative to the train, both
tables are going 0 mph and the light on both tables is going 186,300 mps. Relative to the surface of the earth,
the tables are on the train that is moving 1,000 mph so the lights on the tables is going 186,300 mps plus and
minus 1,000 mph for the speed of the train. That is because one table will test the speed of light going with the
train while the other table will test the speed of light going against the speed of the train. Relative to the center
of the earth, the tables are on the train that is moving on the surface of the earth. So, we have 186,300 mps for
the speed of light on the tables plus and minus 1,000 mph for the speed of the train plus and minus 1,000 mph
for the speed of the earth’s rotation. That gives us a speed of light that is accelerating or decelerating between
186,300 mps plus and minus 2,000 mph. Also, relative to the sun, the tables are moving with the train that is
moving with the earth as it spins and goes around the sun. That makes the speed of light on each table 186,300
mps plus and minus 67,000 mph for the speed of the earth going around the sun and plus and minus 1,000 mph
for the speed of the earth at the equator and plus and minus 1,000 mph for the speed of the train.
In the theory of relativity, it says w=c-v which means the speed of light in the frame is additive to the frame to
get the speed of light relative to the frame of reference. That formula comes from the train thought experiment
using man walking on a moving train. In that example, the speed of the walking man on the train is additive to
the speed of the train resulting in a relative ground speed. Then the speed of walking man is replaced with the
speed of light to get the speed of light on the train relative to the ground. My example simply takes a known
actual experiment and puts it on a train. The outcome is the same for the experiment regardless of the use of
addition of the train.
Every experiment to measure the speed of light under identical conditions has consistently given the same
constant speed of light on earth. The location or orientation or speed of the moving test equipment has not
changed the outcome. The speed of light relative to the earth or any moving frame of reference is a constant c.
At about 40 degree north, the speed of earth’s rotation is about 750 MPH. At the equator, the speed of rotation
is about 1,000 MPH.
Relative to the center of the earth, the speed of light at 40 degree north going EAST is 250 MPH slower than the
speed of light at the equator.
Relative to the center of the earth, WEST bound light at the equator is going 2,000 slower than EAST bound light.
That is: WEST light speed = c-1000 MPH, while EAST light speed = c+1000 MPH.
Relative to the sun, the relative speed of light on earth is 67,000 MPH faster than the relative speed of light on
the sun. That is because the earth is going around the sun at a speed of about 67,000 MPH. That gives us: the
relative speed of light on earth of c + 67,000 MPH + or - 0 to 1,000 MPH depending on the location and
orientation of the test equipment relative to the earth’s rotation.
We see from these examples that the speed of light is relative to the frame of reference. We also see that the
speed of light is additive to the frame of reference as shown in the theory of relativity with the formula w=c-v.
We also see that the speed of the frame of reference does not change the relative speed of light in the frame. As
a result, the speed of light will remain constant within the frame of reference even when the frame of reference is
moving at any speed including virtually unlimited speeds.
If a box is moving at 186,300 mps, the speed of light inside the box will be 186,300 mps regardless of the
orientation of the test device. If a box is accelerated to a speed of 500,000 mps, the speed of light inside the box
will be 186,000 mps regardless of the orientation of the measurement device. The relative speed of light in a
frame moving 500,000 mps is 686,300 mps.
As we all know, the relative speed of light in a vacuum in a moving frame of reference is a constant 186,300 MPS
regardless of the motion of the frame of reference. We also all know that the speed of light is relatively additive
to the frame of reference.
- The fact that the earth spins while it moves around the sun does not alter the requirement for the laws of
physics to apply to an internal frame and all it’s contents whether moving or stationary.
- In addition to the changing relationship of a point on earth relative to the sun, our solar systems frame is
moving in space at a speed of about 450 thousand miles per hour in some direction. That means that you and
your test equipment are moving over 517,000 miles per hour.
- None of the above mentioned movement of any of the above mentioned objects changes the fact that the laws
of physics are the same in any inertial frame, and, in particular, any measurement of the speed of light in any
inertial frame will always give 186,300 miles per second.
That is just the way it is for the relatively additive speed of light and the requirement for the laws of physics to
apply to any and all objects within or external to any frame of reference.
Don Edward Sprague
Copyright 23 July, 2008 All rights reserved.
If you are standing with both feet on the ground in front of your house, how far did you and your house move in
the past 24 hours? Are you going:
A - 0 Miles Per Hour
B - up to 1,000 Miles Per Hour
C - both A and B
D - 67,000 plus or minus 1,000 Miles Per Hour
F - all of the above.
The correct answer is F.
Logically, you must think that is absurd. There isn’t any way for a person to be standing still with both feet firmly
on the ground, in front of their house and still be moving. Would it help you deal with the question if I said that
you and your house are standing on the equator or on the north pole? We all know that the earth is spinning
around it’s axis. At the equator, the rate of rotation is about 1,000 MPH. At the poles, the rotation is zero. At
about 40 degree north or south, the speed is about 750 MPH.
Now think about the question with that additional information. If you are standing on the equator, with both feet
on the ground, in front of your house, at sea level, holding some test equipment, how fast are you going?
It should be easy to understand that C is obviously a correct answer if you include the words describing the
relative point of reference. For answer A, relative to the ground, you are moving 0 mph. For answer B, relative to
the center of the earth, you are moving about 1,000 mph. That is because the surface of the earth, at sea level,
at the equator is moving about 1,000 mph relative to the center of the earth. Note that I said “at sea lever”. If
you were on the top floor of 10 story building, the distance from the center of the earth to the 10 floor of the
building is greater than the distance at sea level. Since the distance is greater, the circumference of the circle is
greater which results in a greater distance to go in the same amount of time which results in a greater speed for
the person standing on the 10th floor of the building with some test equipment.
A person standing at 40 degree north or south is moving at about 750 mph relative to the center of the earth
while a person standing at the north or south pole is moving 0 mph relative to the center of the earth as well as
0 mph relative to the surface of the earth. Suppose we have 4 people, with the same type of test equipment,
who are standing at the 4 main points I described; one at sea level at the equator, one on the 10 floor of a
building at sea level on the equator, one at 40 degree north and one at the north pole. Now suppose the 4
people can see each other and they can see each other’s test equipment. All 4 will say that they are all moving 0
mph relative to each other and to the surface of the earth and to the test equipment. However; we also know
that three of the people and their test equipment are moving at three different speeds relative to the center of
the earth. In one hour, the person on the north pole will simply rotate. The person at 40 degree north will move
about 750 miles while the person at the equator will move about 1,000 miles and the person with test equipment
on the 10th floor will move a little more than the person on the ground.
Relative to the center of the earth and the surface of the earth, the following table summarizes the relative MPH
and distance moved in a day and a year at different points on the earth.
Point of reference Location of person MPH Miles moved in a day Miles moved in a year
Earth surface north pole 0 0 0
Earth surface 41 degree north 0 0
Earth surface equator 0 0 0
Center of the earth north pole 0 0 0
Center of the earth 41 degree north 783 18,792 6,863,778
Center of the earth equator 1,038 24,912 9,099,108
Now we should return to the original question. We still have answer D to address. It says: 67,000 plus or minus
1,000 Miles Per Hour. Most people know that it takes just over 365 days for the earth to go around the sun.
Some people know the earth is moving at a speed of about 67,000 mph as it goes around the sun.
With that additional information, it should be easy for most people to understand that they are riding on the
earth that is moving at a speed of about 67,000 mph relative to the sun while they are moving 0 mph relative to
the surface of the earth. It should also be easy for people to understand that they are also moving up to 1,000
mph relative to the center of the earth. It takes a little more explanation to address the difference between the
night time speed vs the day time speed. Since the earth is spinning while it goes around the sun, the speed of a
point on the earth surface is going with the direction of the earth’s movement half of the time and it is going
against the direction of the earth’s movement the other half of the time. Hence, the speed of a person relative to
the sun being 67,000 mph plus or minus up to 1,000 mph. It is important to note that the speed of the point on
earth relative to the sun is either accelerating or decelerating as it proceeds from dusk to dawn. The maximum
addition or subtraction is at the middle of the day and night. The minimum addition or subtraction is near dusk
and dawn. This is basic information that should be easily understood by everybody. In the past it was hard to
convenience anyone that the earth is moving. Today the earth’s movement is readily accepted.
Now it should be easy for anyone to understand that a person, standing next to some test equipment,
someplace on earth, is moving 0 mph relative to the point on the surface of the earth where they are standing,
as well as up to about 1,000 mph relative to the center of the earth, and about 67,000 mph plus or minus about
1,000 mph relative to the sun. That means, anyone who is reading this while they are standing or sitting on
earth is moving a distance of about 67,000 miles plus about 1,000 miles. In a day, they move a distance of about
1,608,000 miles plus about 24,000 miles for a total of about 1,632,000 miles. If you eat at the same place on
Monday and then went back on Tuesday, you will have traveled over one and a half a million miles between lunch
on the two days. If the person was standing next to some test equipment, the equipment is also moving the
same speed and has covered the same distance in one day.
Relative to the sun, the center of the earth and the surface of the earth, the following table summarizes the
relative MPH and distance moved in a day and a year at different points on the earth.
Point of reference Location of person MPH Miles moved in a day Miles moved in a year
Earth surface north pole 0 0 0
Earth surface 41 degree north 0 0
Earth surface equator 0 0 0
Center of the earth north pole 0 0 0
Center of the earth 41 degree north 783 18,792 6,863,778
Center of the earth equator 1,038 24,912 9,099,108
Center of the Sun north pole 67,000 1,608,000 587,322,000
Center of the Sun 41 degree north 67,000 1,626,792 594,185,778
Center of the Sun equator 67,000 1,632,912 596,421,108
Now lets consider sound. Suppose some people are in a box on the equator at sea level and the temperature is
59 degrees Fahrenheit and one person talks to another person. Since the box is at the equator it is going about
239 mph faster than the speed of sound, will the second person be able to hear the first person talking? How
can the people in the box hear each other since they are going faster than the speed of sound? The speed of the
sound in the box is relative to the box. Hence; relative to the surface of the earth, they are not moving while
they are talking. However; relative to the center of the sun, they are moving 67,000 MPH which is about 88 times
the speed of sound. From this we see that the speed of sound is relative. So, relative to the surface of the earth,
the speed the sound, in the box with people and test equipment inside, is about 761 mph. However; relative to
the center of the earth, the speed of sound in the box is between, 1,761 mph and a minus -239 mph. Relative to
the sun, the sound is moving at about 67,761, plus or minus up to about 1,000 mph. That shows that the
variation in the speed of the test equipment and the speed of sound relative to the sun is greater that the speed
of sound relative to the surface of the earth.
Now let’s suppose a person, with some test equipment, is riding on a train that is going 100 mph. How fast is
that person moving relative to the sun? The answer to that question depends upon the direction of the train and
the time of night or day.
That person will be going some variable speed between 67,000 mph plus or minus 1,000 mph plus or minus 100
mph. That gives a variable speed of the person riding a train moving 100 mph some where between 65,900 mph
and 668,100 mph. That is because the speeds are additive relative to the sun. The 67,000 mph speed of the
earth moving around the sun plus or minus the accelerating or decelerating speed of the surface of the earth as it
goes between dusk and dawn plus or minus the speed of the train gives us up to 2,200 mph difference in the
variable speed.
Now let’s suppose there is a bowling alley on the train and the person is about to roll the bowling ball. Suppose
the person walks at 5 mph and rolls the ball at 45 mph. How fast is the ball going relative to the sun? The ball is
accelerating or decelerating somewhere between 65,850 and 68,150 mph relative to the sun. That is because all
the speeds are additive and the speed of a point on the earth’s surface is changing speed as it moves between
dusk and dawn. Although the point in space where the person rolled the ball remains constant, the bowling pin
are moving with the train and the surface of the earth relative to it’s movement around the sun. The time it takes
for the ball to arrive at the pins remains constant although the distance the ball moves is considerable greater
than the length of the bowling alley on the train. The distance from the person who rolls the ball to the pins
relative to the train remains fixed while that distance relative to the sun is very great and is variable depending
upon the time of day and direction of the train.
Remember the test equipment I keep mentioning. Now suppose a person is conducting an experiment to
determine the speed of light while riding on a train going 1,000 mph. on the surface of the earth that is moving at
some accelerating or decelerating speed up to 1,000 mph somewhere between dusk and dawn and the earth is
moving 67,000 mph around the sun and those speeds are additive. We have also already determined that the
speeds of moving objects on the train are additive to the speed of the train relative to the sun. We know the
distance between points A and B on the train are constantly moving at a greater speed or a lesser speed relative
to the sun while they remain constant relative to the train. Suppose two virtually identical tables are setup
similar to the tables used in the Michelson-Morley experiment. It is an example of measuring the speed of light at
186,300 miles per second using a table that could turn to check the speed going different direction and always
gives the same result. In their experiments the table was riding on the surface of the earth that is moving. We
simply add the condition of the experiment being on the train that is moving at 1,000 mph on earth that is
rotating at while it is going around the sun. We use two tables that are geared to test the speed of light in
opposite directions at the same time.
How fast is the speed of light on each table on the moving train on the spinning earth that is going around the
sun? We have already established that the answer is relative to a point of reference. Relative to the train, both
tables are going 0 mph and the light on both tables is going 186,300 mps. Relative to the surface of the earth,
the tables are on the train that is moving 1,000 mph so the lights on the tables is going 186,300 mps plus and
minus 1,000 mph for the speed of the train. That is because one table will test the speed of light going with the
train while the other table will test the speed of light going against the speed of the train. Relative to the center
of the earth, the tables are on the train that is moving on the surface of the earth. So, we have 186,300 mps for
the speed of light on the tables plus and minus 1,000 mph for the speed of the train plus and minus 1,000 mph
for the speed of the earth’s rotation. That gives us a speed of light that is accelerating or decelerating between
186,300 mps plus and minus 2,000 mph. Also, relative to the sun, the tables are moving with the train that is
moving with the earth as it spins and goes around the sun. That makes the speed of light on each table 186,300
mps plus and minus 67,000 mph for the speed of the earth going around the sun and plus and minus 1,000 mph
for the speed of the earth at the equator and plus and minus 1,000 mph for the speed of the train.
In the theory of relativity, it says w=c-v which means the speed of light in the frame is additive to the frame to
get the speed of light relative to the frame of reference. That formula comes from the train thought experiment
using man walking on a moving train. In that example, the speed of the walking man on the train is additive to
the speed of the train resulting in a relative ground speed. Then the speed of walking man is replaced with the
speed of light to get the speed of light on the train relative to the ground. My example simply takes a known
actual experiment and puts it on a train. The outcome is the same for the experiment regardless of the use of
addition of the train.
Every experiment to measure the speed of light under identical conditions has consistently given the same
constant speed of light on earth. The location or orientation or speed of the moving test equipment has not
changed the outcome. The speed of light relative to the earth or any moving frame of reference is a constant c.
At about 40 degree north, the speed of earth’s rotation is about 750 MPH. At the equator, the speed of rotation
is about 1,000 MPH.
Relative to the center of the earth, the speed of light at 40 degree north going EAST is 250 MPH slower than the
speed of light at the equator.
Relative to the center of the earth, WEST bound light at the equator is going 2,000 slower than EAST bound light.
That is: WEST light speed = c-1000 MPH, while EAST light speed = c+1000 MPH.
Relative to the sun, the relative speed of light on earth is 67,000 MPH faster than the relative speed of light on
the sun. That is because the earth is going around the sun at a speed of about 67,000 MPH. That gives us: the
relative speed of light on earth of c + 67,000 MPH + or - 0 to 1,000 MPH depending on the location and
orientation of the test equipment relative to the earth’s rotation.
We see from these examples that the speed of light is relative to the frame of reference. We also see that the
speed of light is additive to the frame of reference as shown in the theory of relativity with the formula w=c-v.
We also see that the speed of the frame of reference does not change the relative speed of light in the frame. As
a result, the speed of light will remain constant within the frame of reference even when the frame of reference is
moving at any speed including virtually unlimited speeds.
If a box is moving at 186,300 mps, the speed of light inside the box will be 186,300 mps regardless of the
orientation of the test device. If a box is accelerated to a speed of 500,000 mps, the speed of light inside the box
will be 186,000 mps regardless of the orientation of the measurement device. The relative speed of light in a
frame moving 500,000 mps is 686,300 mps.
As we all know, the relative speed of light in a vacuum in a moving frame of reference is a constant 186,300 MPS
regardless of the motion of the frame of reference. We also all know that the speed of light is relatively additive
to the frame of reference.
- The fact that the earth spins while it moves around the sun does not alter the requirement for the laws of
physics to apply to an internal frame and all it’s contents whether moving or stationary.
- In addition to the changing relationship of a point on earth relative to the sun, our solar systems frame is
moving in space at a speed of about 450 thousand miles per hour in some direction. That means that you and
your test equipment are moving over 517,000 miles per hour.
- None of the above mentioned movement of any of the above mentioned objects changes the fact that the laws
of physics are the same in any inertial frame, and, in particular, any measurement of the speed of light in any
inertial frame will always give 186,300 miles per second.
That is just the way it is for the relatively additive speed of light and the requirement for the laws of physics to
apply to any and all objects within or external to any frame of reference.
Don Edward Sprague
Copyright 23 July, 2008 All rights reserved.
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