Equations for length contraction

In summary, relativistic geometric edges and angles at an angle to the direction of movement are difficult to calculate, but common sense dictates that the angle remains unchanged at 90°.
  • #1
JDude13
95
0
So I was bored and decided to find some simple equations to deal with relativistic geometric edges and angles at an angle to the direction of movement.
[tex]L=L_0\sqrt{(\frac{\cos(\Delta\theta_0)}{\gamma})^2+(1-\cos(\Delta\theta_0)^2)^2}[/tex]

[tex]\Delta\theta=\tan^{-1}(\gamma\frac{\sqrt{1-\cos(\Delta\theta_0)^2}}{\cos(\Delta\theta_0)}[/tex]
Where
[tex]L[/tex] is the relativistic length of the edge
[tex]L_0[/tex] is the rest length of the edge

[tex]\Delta\theta[/tex] is the “relativistic angle” between the edge and the direction of motion.
[tex]\Delta\theta_0[/tex] is the “rest angle” between the edge and the direction of motion.
[tex]\gamma[/tex] is the Lorentz factor of the object, [tex]\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\beta^2}}[/tex]

Tell me what you think.
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
JDude13 said:
So I was bored and decided to find some simple equations to deal with relativistic geometric edges and angles at an angle to the direction of movement.
[tex]L=L_0\sqrt{(\frac{\cos(\Delta\theta_0)}{\gamma})^2+(1-\cos(\Delta\theta_0)^2)^2}[/tex]

[tex]\Delta\theta=\tan^{-1}(\gamma\frac{\sqrt{1-\cos(\Delta\theta_0)^2}}{\cos(\Delta\theta_0)}[/tex]
Where
[tex]L[/tex] is the relativistic length of the edge
[tex]L_0[/tex] is the rest length of the edge


[tex]\Delta\theta[/tex] is the “relativistic angle” between the edge and the direction of motion.
[tex]\Delta\theta_0[/tex] is the “rest angle” between the edge and the direction of motion.
[tex]\gamma[/tex] is the Lorentz factor of the object, [tex]\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\beta^2}}[/tex]


Tell me what you think.

I get division by zero when trying to calc the relativistic angle for a rest angle of 90 degrees. Is the second formula incomplete?
 
  • #3
MikeLizzi said:
I get division by zero when trying to calc the relativistic angle for a rest angle of 90 degrees. Is the second formula incomplete?

Common sense dictates that an edge at 90° to the direction of motion will remain at 90°.
[tex]\tan90=undef.[/tex]
and
[tex]\frac{\sqrt{1-\cos90^2}}{\cos90}=undef.[/tex]
So the equation becomes unclear at 90° but we can safely assume that at 90° the angle remains unchanged.
 

FAQ: Equations for length contraction

What is the equation for length contraction?

The equation for length contraction is L = L0 * √(1 - v2/c2), where L is the contracted length, L0 is the original length, v is the relative velocity between the observer and the object, and c is the speed of light.

How is length contraction related to the theory of relativity?

Length contraction is a phenomenon predicted by the theory of relativity, which states that the length of an object appears shorter to an observer who is moving relative to the object at high speeds.

What are the assumptions made in the equation for length contraction?

The equation for length contraction assumes that the object is moving at a constant velocity, that the observer is also moving at a constant velocity, and that the observer and the object are moving in a straight line with respect to each other.

Can length contraction be observed in everyday life?

Length contraction can only be observed at extremely high speeds, close to the speed of light. In everyday life, the effects of length contraction are negligible and cannot be observed.

How does length contraction affect other physical quantities?

Length contraction affects other physical quantities such as time dilation and mass increase. As an object's length contracts, time appears to slow down for the observer and the object's mass appears to increase. These effects are all interconnected and are predicted by the theory of relativity.

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