- #1
rede96
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There was a post made here https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...the-speed-of-light.818301/page-2#post-5138063 by PAllen that describes a way of measuring length contraction of a moving body as seen in the rest frame.
I thought this was a great way to visualise length contraction but it got me thinking…
If I was to make similar experiment where there was an arbitrary large piece of photographic film on the floor and I passed the same 2 meter ruler (rest length) over the film, about 1 cm above it and traveling at 0.968c. But also with a 2 meter flash bulb attached to the ruler directly above it, parallel to its length and pointing down towards the ruler.
The flash is activated at some point as the ruler passes over the film in such a way that it leaves a shadow on the film as per the original experiment.
My questions is would the experiment sill leave a ½ meter shadow as per the first time, or as the light originated in the frame of the ruler traveling at 0.968c relative the film, would the shadow left be 2 meters long? (Or some length other than ½ meters)
I thought this was a great way to visualise length contraction but it got me thinking…
If I was to make similar experiment where there was an arbitrary large piece of photographic film on the floor and I passed the same 2 meter ruler (rest length) over the film, about 1 cm above it and traveling at 0.968c. But also with a 2 meter flash bulb attached to the ruler directly above it, parallel to its length and pointing down towards the ruler.
The flash is activated at some point as the ruler passes over the film in such a way that it leaves a shadow on the film as per the original experiment.
My questions is would the experiment sill leave a ½ meter shadow as per the first time, or as the light originated in the frame of the ruler traveling at 0.968c relative the film, would the shadow left be 2 meters long? (Or some length other than ½ meters)