You are riding in a spaceship that has no windows or other means for you to observe or measure what is outside. You wish to determine if the ship is stopped or moving at constant velocity. What should you do?
A) You can determine if the ship is moving by checking your precision time piece. If its running slow, the ship is moving.
B) You should give up because you have taken on an impossible task.
C) You can determine if the ship is moving by determining the apparent velocity of light.
D) You can determine if the ship is moving either by determining the apparent velocity of light or by checking your precision time piece. If its running slow, the ship is moving.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the principle of relativity, if you are moving at a constant velocity in a spaceship with no windows or external references, there is no experiment you can perform within the spaceship to determine whether you are moving or at rest. This principle implies that all the laws of physics work the same way in any inertial frame (a frame moving at a constant velocity). Therefore, neither checking a timepiece nor measuring the apparent velocity of light would reveal your state of motion, as both would behave the same whether you are at rest or moving at a constant velocity.

You Are Riding in a Spaceship That Has No Windows