An astronaut traveling forward at 0.87c holds a meterstick in spear-like fashion.The astronaut sees the spear's length as
A)0)5 m.
B)0)87 m.
C)1 m.
D)1)25 m.
E)1)5 m.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to length contraction, the length of an object in motion appears shorter in the direction of motion from the perspective of an observer not in motion relative to the object. The formula for length contraction is L' = L/γ, where L is the length in the object's rest frame and γ is the Lorentz factor given by γ = 1/√(1 - v^2/c^2), where v is the velocity of the object and c is the speed of light. Plugging in the given values, we get L' = 1/γ = 1/√(1 - 0.87^2) = 1.88 meters. Therefore, the astronaut sees the meterstick as 1 meter long.

An Astronaut Traveling Forward at 0