International Trusting Science: A Little Thought Experiment

[oski]

OK, picture a train full of passengers traveling at any given velocity (v→) along a set of tracks. There is a bomb at the center of this train with a wireless receiver that will detonate in only one way. Beside the tracks are two towers, each holding a lightning rod, wired to a switch, connected to a transmitter. Only if both rods are struck by lightning simultaneously, can the switch flip and only then will the transmitter send out a signal to detonate the bomb.

You are a stationary observer and exactly when the train intersects with your position and between the two towers, sure enough, lightning does strike both rods simultaneously.

The scene looks like this:

QUESTION: What happens to the people on that train?

 

[Luthien]

Instructions unclear^^ Decided to stare at that ass while the train blew up I think.

 

[Natural Order]

Somebody passes gas?

 

[lsa]

Instructions unclear^^ Decided to stare at that ass while the train blew up I think.

whats your gimmick?
Trying to come off as a lesbo or?

 

[plataoplombo]

Ass is exploding in my face. Do not like experiment would not do again.

 

[Fox by the Sea]

Nothing happens. the bomb doesn't go off because it would need a slight voltage amplifier for the lightning in the back to compensate for the speed of the train. two lightning bolts that strike at the same time do not meet midway on a moving plane, more like behind the "detonator", which means the detonator doesn't get the condition for the exact same energy input at the exact time.

it's a very short explanation that doesn't take into account charge, connectivity, time intervals, logical roadblocks, etc.

 

[CantCucktheTuck]

train passengers should be referred to as "trainies" out of respect.

 

[Wilmer Digreux]

The train goes to the 1800's i think

 

[Andy Capp]

Funny semantic trick. TS doesn't specify the bomb is on the train, merely that the bomb is in the middle from our point of view as it passes. So, I'm going to guess nothing happens to them that doesn't also happen to you as the observer.

Either that or the answer is

What do I win?

 

[Deleted member 585708]

The trains moving so everything is displaced in that direction.

The lightning doesn't strike at the same time as it appeared to me. Although I doubt it would matter as there would be very little difference in the strikes, and I can't imagine the contacts are perfect to within 0.00000001 percent of a second or whatever, so yeah.

BOOM.

 

[Whippy McGee]

It all depends if the train makes it to 88 MPH at the right moment.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

Depends on if those two lightening strikes equate to 1.21 gigawatts of power.

If yes, BOOM.

If not, no boom.

 

[oski]

Spoiler: for those interested in what happens to those on the train...

What everyone down to a young child who understands the word 'simultaneous' knows happens is...

everyone on that train is dead.

What the top guys in the field (pun intended) will tell you happens, the literal priests of theoretical physics, that...

everyone on that train is safe. Trust the science.

 

[Cartiac]

The science behind this is pretty simple with this theory having a huge sample size of peer reviewed approval across all respected media sites, TikTok, Instagram, OnlyFans, etc.

Of course the signal will be transmitted due to the electrified rods, but according to the theory of relativity the mass of that ass aligning perfectly with the velocity of the train would create such a surge in kinetic energy that the signal would be lost in the space-time curve saving everyone.

 

[oski]

It's nice to attempt some edifying discussion as opposed to "Trump sucks" and "Kamala sucks."

The science behind this is pretty simple with this theory having a huge sample size of peer reviewed approval across all respected media sites, TikTok, Instagram, OnlyFans, etc.

Leaving the flawed peer-reviewed narrative aside, I haven't seen one paper even showing that spacetime exists. Clearly, it has never been manipulated as an independent variable.

It's said that those who most fervently support relativity are those with no real understanding of its claims.

Of course the signal will be transmitted due to the electrified rods, but according to the theory of relativity the mass of that ass aligning perfectly with the velocity of the train would create such a surge in kinetic energy that the signal would be lost in the space-time curve saving everyone.

Mass of the ass?

Not sure about what you are trying to convey here, but I'll save you some time and steelman their argument.

"length contraction" and "time dilation"

the "distance" (length) in the direction of its motion appears to contract, and the "time" experienced by the moving object appears to slow down relative to a stationary observer

What is most fascinating to me since I have been reading into this stuff is why science chose relativity. It really is an amazing story.

 

[Natural Order]

So somebody does pass gas. Interdesting.