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From: ables@mcc-db.UUCP (King Ables)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Speed Of Light
Message-ID: <185@mcc-db.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-May-85 21:03:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcc-db.185
Posted: Thu May  9 21:03:45 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 12-May-85 00:06:52 EDT
References: <2073@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: MCC (Austin, TX)
Lines: 21

[Aha! I knew I kept those notes from Physics for something!]

The formula for adding velocity vectors (assuming you accept Einstein's
Special Theory of Relativity rather than Newtonian physics) is:

			   v1 + v2
		V      = ------------
		 total      (v1)(v2)
			 1+ --------
				 2
				C

As v1 and v2 tend to "small", the denominator tends to "insignificantly
larger than 1", so the whole fraction tends to (v1+v2)/1 which is what
we normally think of.  If we're adding .5c and .5c, we get a more
complicated answer.  The denominator is significantly larger than 1, so
the total is significantly < v1+v2.

-King
ARPA: ables@mcc
UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!mcc-db!ables