Time dilation and length contraction

In summary, the distance of the flight from Earth to Point A, as seen by the person inside the spacecraft and the Earthlings, will contract due to the spacecraft's speed of 0.95c. Earth will see the spacecraft take around 11 years for the journey, while the spacecraft will experience less time due to time dilation. The time seen on Earth will be around 11 years, while the time seen in the spacecraft will be approximately 3.4 years, calculated using the reciprocal of gamma and the speed of the spacecraft.
  • #1
noone123
5
0
Can someone please clear this up for me?
Lets say the distance of Point A from Earth is 10.4 light years. Some spacecraft is traveling 0.95c.

So. The person in the spacecraft will see Earth contract but Earth will see the spacecraft contract in length too. The thing I'm confused on is who sees the distance of the flight contract(Earth to point A)? Is it the person inside the spacecraft or the Earthlings?

Also for time dilation, Earth will see the spacecraft take around 11 years. Is this right? Then if this is right, the spacecraft will experience less time.
So in the formula, tv is the time seen on Earth which is around 11 years and t0 is time seen in spacecraft will be much less?

Thx. If you can include calculations for me that would be awsome, but an explanation is more than fine.
 
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  • #2
noone123 said:
Can someone please clear this up for me?
Lets say the distance of Point A from Earth is 10.4 light years. Some spacecraft is traveling 0.95c.

So. The person in the spacecraft will see Earth contract but Earth will see the spacecraft contract in length too. The thing I'm confused on is who sees the distance of the flight contract(Earth to point A)? Is it the person inside the spacecraft or the Earthlings?

Also for time dilation, Earth will see the spacecraft take around 11 years. Is this right? Then if this is right, the spacecraft will experience less time.
So in the formula, tv is the time seen on Earth which is around 11 years and t0 is time seen in spacecraft will be much less?

Thx. If you can include calculations for me that would be awsome, but an explanation is more than fine.
You have everything correct.

You need to calculate the reciprocal of gamma which is the square root of 1 minus the square of the speed which is 0.3122 and multiply that by the time which results in about 3.4 years.
 

What is time dilation?

Time dilation is a phenomenon in which time appears to pass slower for an object in motion compared to one at rest. This is due to the effects of relativity and can occur at very high speeds or in the presence of strong gravitational forces.

What is length contraction?

Length contraction is the shortening of an object's length as it moves at high speeds. This is also a result of the effects of relativity and is relative to an observer's frame of reference.

How does time dilation and length contraction relate to each other?

Time dilation and length contraction are both consequences of the theory of relativity and are interconnected. As an object's speed increases, time appears to slow down and its length appears to shorten from the perspective of an observer. This is known as the Lorentz transformation.

What are some real-world examples of time dilation and length contraction?

Some examples of time dilation and length contraction can be seen in particle accelerators, where particles are accelerated to near the speed of light, causing them to experience time dilation and length contraction. GPS satellites also experience these effects due to their high speeds in orbit.

Can time dilation and length contraction be observed in everyday life?

While we may not be able to observe time dilation and length contraction in our daily lives, we can see their effects in other ways. For example, astronauts on the International Space Station experience time dilation due to their high speeds, and this has been confirmed through experiments with atomic clocks. Additionally, precision measurements have been made to confirm the predictions of time dilation and length contraction in various scenarios.

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