Asked by kelvin calin
According to the concept of length contraction, what happens to the length of an object as it approaches the speed of light and then slows down, eventually coming to a stop?
It is always observed as contracting.
It is always observed as the same length.
It is observed as expanding and then contracting back to its original length.
It is observed as contracting and then expanding back to its original length.
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Answered by
GPT-5 mini
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It is observed as contracting and then expanding back to its original length.
Explanation: length contraction is frame-dependent. An observer who sees the object moving measures its length L = L0√(1 − v^2/c^2), so as v increases the measured length decreases, and as v decreases back to zero the measured length returns to the rest length L0. In the object's own rest frame its length is always the same.
Explanation: length contraction is frame-dependent. An observer who sees the object moving measures its length L = L0√(1 − v^2/c^2), so as v increases the measured length decreases, and as v decreases back to zero the measured length returns to the rest length L0. In the object's own rest frame its length is always the same.
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