A spaceship traveling at 0.7370c relative to the Earth monitors a motorcycle drag race on Earth. The space travelers measure the time from the start to the finish of the race to be 15.25 s. What is the proper time interval for the motorcycle race?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The proper time interval is the time measured in the rest frame of the event. Using time dilation, the proper time (t₀) is given by t₀ = t / γ, where γ = 1/√(1-v²/c²). For v = 0.7370c, γ ≈ 1.498. Thus, t₀ = 15.25 s / 1.498 ≈ 10.31 s.

A Spaceship Traveling at 0