Length contraction of particles

[member 529879]

As an object moves, it is contracted in the direction of it's motion. Why wouldn't each individual subatomic particle be contracted rather than the object as a whole?

 

[dextercioby]

Our current best theories indicate that subatomic particles are having no size at all, thus there would be nothing to contract. Contraction/dilation of space/time is an observer effect.

 

[A.T.]

As an object moves, it is contracted in the direction of it's motion. Why wouldn't each individual subatomic particle be contracted rather than the object as a whole?

The force fields of subatomic particles are contracted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Length_contraction#Experimental_verifications

• Heavy ions that are spherical when at rest should assume the form of "pancakes" or flat disks when traveling nearly at the speed of light. And in fact, the results obtained from particle collisions can only be explained when the increased nucleon density due to length contraction is considered.[11][12][13]
• The ionization ability of electrically charged particles with large relative velocities is higher than expected. In pre-relativistic physics the ability should decrease at high velocities, because the time in which ionizing particles in motion can interact with the electrons of other atoms or molecules is diminished. Though in relativity, the higher-than-expected ionization ability can be explained by length contraction of the Coulomb field in frames in which the ionizing particles are moving, which increases their electrical field strength normal to the line of motion