Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2008 / ib / Paper 4 / 17C / a / Solution

The world lines in the train frame are $x_A=L/2$, $x_B=-L/2$ and $x_C=-vt$. In the station frame, length contraction givesThe emission event is $O=(0,0)$ in both frames. The signal world lines in $S^{\prime }$ are $x^{\prime }=u{t}^{\prime }$ and $x^{\prime }=-u{t}^{\prime }$; their intersections with the train endpoints define the reception events $R_A,R_B$. Their velocities in $S$, from the relativistic velocity-addition formula, are $(u-v)/(1-uv/c^2)$ and $-(u+v)/(1+uv/c^2)$.

The two platform-alignment events occur at $(x^{\prime },t^{\prime })=(\pm L/(2\gamma ),0)$ in $S^{\prime }$. The Lorentz transformation puts them at $(x,t)=(\pm L/2,\mp vL/(2c^2))$ in $S$, on the tilted simultaneity line $t=-vx/c^2$. The spacetime diagrams show all three observers, both signals, their receptions, and these distinct endpoint-alignment events: