Starship "Alpha" is traveling at 0.8c ($\gamma$ = 5/3) with respect to the identical starship "Beta." Each starship has rest length 10,000 m. The ship's engineer aboard the "Beta" measures the length of the "Alpha" as it passes by his window. What result should he get?
A) 6,000 m
B) 8,000 m
C) 10,000 m
D) 12,500 m
E) 16,667 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The length contraction formula in special relativity is $L = L_0/\gamma$, where $L_0$ is the rest length and $\gamma$ is the Lorentz factor. Given $\gamma = 5/3$ and $L_0 = 10,000$ m, the observed length $L$ is $10,000 \times 3/5 = 6,000$ m.

Starship "Alpha" Is Traveling at 0 γ\gammaγ = 5/3) with Respect to the Identical Starship "Beta

Starship "Alpha" Is Traveling at 0 $\gamma$ = 5/3) with Respect to the Identical Starship "Beta