A spaceship is observed from the Earth to be moving toward a star at a speed of 0.80 c.If the distance from the spaceship to the star is 1.6 ly as measured from earth,how far is the star as measured from the moving space ship?
A) 2.1 ly
B) 1.9 ly
C) 1.6 ly
D) 1.2 ly
E) 0.96 ly

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The distance measured from the spaceship is contracted due to relativistic effects. Using the Lorentz contraction formula, L = L0 * sqrt(1 - v^2/c^2), where L0 is the proper length (1.6 ly), v is 0.80c, the contracted length L is approximately 0.96 ly.

A Spaceship Is Observed from the Earth to Be Moving