Astronaut Brian leaves Earth in a spaceship at a speed of 0.280c relative to an observer on earth.?

Question

Brian is holding a pencil at an angle of 30.0 degrees with the direction of travel, as seen by brian. What angle does the pencil make with the direction of travel, as seen in the frame of reference of the observer?

a) 30 degrees
b) 29 degrees
c) 31 degrees
d) 32 degrees

Answer 1

tan 30º = √3/3. The length in direction of travel is 3. Due to relativistic Fitzgerald contraction, that will be reduced by the factor

√[1-(v/c)^2] you are given v/c = 0.28 so √[1-0.028^2] = 0.96.

Side adjacent in the tangent formula now becomes 3*0.96 = 2.88, and the angle is now arctan √3/2.88 = 31º

Answer 2

a


do these questions have somthin to do with relativity????