Is the contraction of objects traveling at very high speeds real, or is it juast a optical phenomenon, an ilusion? Why does it happen? What do pepole actually know about it until now? was it proved through experiments, like time dilation, or is it just a completely theoretical thing?
It seems pretty normal to me that we percive objects traveling at high speeds longer, but that's just the eye fooling us, and it's got mothing to do with phizics.
2007-09-27 06:26:07 · 4 answers · asked by vlad r 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Well, if we take the postulates of special relativity, namely that light has a constant speed (which has been verified), it naturally follows that time and space are in an inverse relationship to eachother. if you believe that time dilation exists, then you cannot escape that space also contracts. you have x/y (distance/time) and its like saying you can change x without changing y and youre going to get the same thing. This is not as easy to test experimentally because you must observe an object while it is traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light, where as with time dilation, you can just check a clock which has been orbiting the earth for a while.
it is not an effect of an object actually contracting, its the effect of the space time it exists in reacting to maintain the ballance of the speed of light. if you accept time dilation, you have to accept length contraction. proving one is proving both. one has been proven, so both are proven.
2007-09-27 06:56:13 · answer #1 · answered by nacsez 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not an optical illusion the way you're probably suggesting.
It's a change of the way space and time are measured.
As real as anything is space-time can be.
Remember, our ENTIRE understanding of what we percieve as 'the real way things are in the universe' is 'threortical' even if experiments support the threory. It's totally possible that some one will come up with a better threory and a better way experimenting, and people will re-interpret the reality.
Some one may come and do to Einstien's theories the same thing that his did to Newtons.
2007-09-27 06:39:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's very real.
Lorentz did the math for it in the late 1800's, before Einstein's theory of relativity was published.
Yes- the length of your meter stick will actually get shorter when it approaches relativistic speeds. Once it gets to the speed of light, its mass will approach infinity and its length will approach zero.
None of this is something you can perceive with your eye. the speeds necessary are far too great.
2007-09-27 06:36:14 · answer #3 · answered by Morey000 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's just a theory.
I'm with you on this one.
Although at accelerating speeds, objects can become oblong, objects moving at a constant velocity (like in the theory) maintain a constant shape. I think his theory might have come about by the fact that when objects move at a constant speed on earth, they are actually moving at an accelerated speed due to friction.
2007-09-27 06:32:10 · answer #4 · answered by jpferrierjr 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋