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[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Just because it's defined as some section of a light year does not mean it's using a light year as a reference. You could use a foot and find the fraction of a light year that represents it, but that doesn't mean that the foot is based on a light year.

I'm saying the short measure that we use on a daily basis might be a BASE 10 portion of a light year. Not 1/299792458 of a light second.

P.S. It's like being on Reddit, being download for conjecturing.

[-] Kethal@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I see what you mean. That is just as arbitrary as using the Earth's size or any other reference. There's nothing special about a year.

[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Touché

My ignorance shows it's ugly face again.

[-] accidental@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 years ago

it's a hard thing for me to wrap my head around, but it's cool when you think about it: there's actually no possible shared reference; even with atomic clocks, based solely on the bouncing of cesium atoms ticking away, the distance travelled is dependent on acceleration in your reference frame.

relativity really is!

this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
516 points (94.9% liked)

Showerthoughts

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