Relativity of distances/lengths

[jaredmt]

according to einstein's theory, lengths of objects around you become shorter as you travel close tot he speed of light. does the distance that you travel also become shorter? or does this theory only refer to the length of objects horizontal to the direction you are going in?

because if the distance in front of you becomes shorter then you could theoretically travel a lightyear in less than a year... i don't think that is supposed to be possible

 

[Doc Al]

All distances along the direction of motion will be contracted according to your measurements. So yes, it is definitely possible to traverse a distance of 1 light year according to Earth observers (for example) in less than one year of your time if you go fast enough. (But nothing is observed to move faster than light in any frame.)

 

[Entropia]

The concept of relativity of distances and lengths is a fundamental aspect of Einstein's theory of relativity. According to this theory, the length of an object is not an absolute quantity, but rather depends on the relative motion of the observer. This means that the length of an object can appear different to different observers depending on their relative velocities.

As for the question of whether the distance you travel also becomes shorter, the answer is yes and no. The theory of relativity states that as an object approaches the speed of light, its length contracts in the direction of motion. This means that the distance you travel in the direction you are moving will appear shorter to an outside observer. However, the distance you travel in a direction perpendicular to your motion will not be affected.

So, while it is true that an object moving at close to the speed of light can cover a lightyear in less than a year from their perspective, this does not violate the laws of physics. This is because the time and distance measurements are relative and depend on the observer's frame of reference. From the perspective of the object, time and distance may appear to pass at a normal rate, while an outside observer would see time and distance passing differently.

In conclusion, the theory of relativity does not only refer to the length of objects horizontal to the direction of motion, but also affects the distance traveled in that direction. However, this does not mean that one can travel a lightyear in less than a year, as this is only true from a specific frame of reference. Overall, the theory of relativity challenges our notions of absolute time and distance and highlights the importance of considering the perspective of the observer in understanding the physical world.