Experimental verification of Ehrenfest Paradox

d3mm

I am not completely convinced that the modern resolution is correct.

Is it?

Is anyone aware of any experiments that have been done that relate to this effect?

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenfest_paradox

harrylin

Hi, this topic has been well discussed before (and despite some confusion in the literature it never really was a paradox), see:

- http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...53&postcount=5

- The original paper simply proves that according to SR real matter cannot be totally rigid (and there is nothing paradoxical about that):
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Unifor..._of_Relativity

PS. A short answer about experiments: it is very difficult to imagine an experiment that could allow to verify the contraction of a spinning disc. The inertial effect is always much greater and already not-so-fast rotating discs disintegrate (explode).

A.T.

A spinning disc cannot contract much because the radial direction is not contracting. A spinning ring could potentially contract if it was very light (minimal centrifugal forces) and very strong. But I doubt an experiment is feasible with known materials.

harrylin

I suspect that a very thin ring of any known useable material would still expand, but I did not calculate it (anyone?).