44
SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY
Let us now consider a seconds-clock which is permanently situated at the origin of . and are two successive ticks of this clock. The first and fourth equations of the Lorentz transformation give for these two ticks:
and
As judged from , the clock is moving with the velocity ; as judged from this reference-body, the time which elapses between two strokes of the clock is not one second, but seconds, i.e. a somewhat larger time. As a consequence of its motion the clock goes more slowly than when at rest. Here also the velocity plays the part of an unattainable limiting velocity.