The discussion centers on the Ehrenfest Paradox, particularly its experimental verification and the implications of special relativity on rigid bodies in rotation. Participants explore the paradox's nature, the feasibility of experiments related to the contraction of spinning discs, and the material limitations that may affect such experiments.
Participants generally disagree on the nature of the Ehrenfest Paradox and the feasibility of experimental verification, with multiple competing views presented regarding the implications of special relativity and the behavior of materials in rotation.
Limitations include the assumptions regarding material properties and the conditions under which experiments could be conducted, as well as the unresolved calculations related to the behavior of a thin ring.
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 said: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).
I suspect that a very thin ring of any known useable material would still expand, but I did not calculate it (anyone?).A.T. said:A spinning disc cannot contract much because the radial direction is not contracting. [..] A spinning ring could potentially contract if it was very light [..].