A girl standing on the ground observes a rocket ship move past her at half the speed of light. Compared to the rocket's length at rest, she sees the rocket's length as

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the theory of relativity, as an object approaches the speed of light, its length appears to shrink in the direction of motion. This phenomenon is called length contraction. Therefore, the girl standing on the ground will see the rocket ship as shorter than its length at rest.

A Girl Standing on the Ground Observes a Rocket Ship