A branch of physics such as mechanics is studying the interaction and motion of bodies. The main property of movement is movement in space. But the movement itself will be different for different observers - this is the relativity of mechanical motion. Standing on the side of the road and watching a moving car, we see that he is either approaching us or moving away, depending on the direction of movement.
Observing the movement of the car, we determine how the distance between the observer and the car changes. At the same time, if we are sitting in a car and another car is moving at the same speed in front of us, the front one will be perceived as standing still, because the distance between the cars does not change. From the point of view of the observer standing on the side of the road, the car moves, from the point of view of the passenger, the car is stationary.
It follows from this that each observer evaluates the movement in his own way, i.e. the relativity of mechanical motion is determined by the point from which the observation is made. Therefore, to accurately determine the motion of the body, it is necessary to choose a point (body) from which the motion will be estimated. Here the idea arises involuntarily that such an approach to the study of motion makes it difficult to understand. One would like to find some point, upon observation from which the movement would be “absolute”, and not relative.
Studying the relativity of motion, physicists and physicists tried to find a solution to this problem. Scientists, using concepts such as “rectilinear uniform motion” and “body velocity”, tried to determine how this body will move relative to observers with different speeds. As a result, it was found that the observation result depends on the ratio of the speeds of the body and observers relative to each other. If the speed of the body is greater, then it moves away, if less, it approaches.
For all calculations, formulas of classical mechanics were used that relate speed, distance traveled and time with uniform movement. The following obvious conclusion: the relativity of mechanical motion is a concept that implies the same course of time for each observer. The formulas obtained by scientists are called Galilean transformations. He was the first in classical mechanics to formulate the concept of relativity of motion.
The physical meaning of Galileo's transformations is extremely deep. According to classical mechanics, its formulas work not only on Earth, but throughout the universe. The next conclusion from this is that space is the same (uniform) everywhere. And since the motion is the same in all directions, then space has the properties of isotropy, i.e. Its properties are the same in all directions.
Thus, it turns out that from the simplest mechanical phenomena, rectilinear uniform motion and the concept of relativity of mechanical motion, an extremely important conclusion (or hypothesis) follows: the concept of "time" is the same for everyone, i.e. it is universal. It also follows from this that space is isotropic and homogeneous, and Galileo's transformations are valid throughout the Universe.
Here are some somewhat unusual conclusions obtained from observation from the sidelines of passing cars, as well as from attempts to find explanations with the help of classical mechanics formulas that relate speed, path and time. The simple concept of “relativity of mechanical motion”, it turns out, can lead to global conclusions affecting the basics of understanding the universe.
The material concerns issues of classical physics. The issues related to the relativity of mechanical motion and the conclusions following from this concept are considered.