A meter stick on a spaceship lies at a 45° angle perpendicular to the motion of travel. When the ship is moving at 0.80 c, the angle the meter stick appears to make with respect to a stationary observer is

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The length contraction in special relativity affects objects in the direction of motion but not perpendicular to it. For a meter stick at a 45° angle, its length component parallel to the motion will appear contracted to a stationary observer, while its perpendicular component remains unchanged. This results in the angle appearing larger than 45°. The correct calculation involves Lorentz transformation, leading to an angle greater than the original 45°, specifically 59°.

A Meter Stick on a Spaceship Lies at a 45°