Please read the Notes and Credits below to understand what point(s) the project is attempting to make. Click on the green flag. What's the point of this project? Einstein's Special theory of relativity tells us that two observers watching the same event can see two different outcomes! Try this yourself. Wad a piece of paper, walk in a straight line at a constant velocity and drop the wad of paper. It will fall along a straight line (for you) into the bottom hand. I did this with students and had one student quickly mark on the chalkboard the path of the ball from the instant I dropped it to the instant it hit my bottom hand. Simple, but PROFOUND! See the Comments below for the follow up to this project.
Scenario; A person is walking down the aisle of a train car, in a straight line, at a constant velocity, from right to left. The person holds a ball in one hand and places their other hand directly below the top hand. One observer, on the train, is sitting in a seat. A second observer is outside the train, standing next to the track. When the train car reaches the outside observer, the person with the ball drops it. What path does the ball follow?
