Length Contraction is an intriguing phenomenon predicted by Einstein's theory of Special Relativity. When an object moves at a significant fraction of the speed of light relative to an observer, its length parallel to the direction of motion appears shorter to that observer.
This contraction is only detectable at relativistic speeds, which are generally much faster than everyday speeds here on Earth.
The mathematical expression to calculate the contracted length, also known as the Lorentz contraction, is: Where:
- **** is the contracted length viewed by the observer in motion.
- **** is the Proper Length, or the length of the object in its rest frame.
- **** is the relative velocity of the object and the observer.
- **** is the speed of light.
Using this formula, one can determine how long an object appears to an observer witnessing it in motion. As speed increases closer to the speed of light, the observed length decreases, reaching much larger contraction as speeds approach . This concept was key to solving the exercise involving the spacecraft's observed length on the planet Coruscant.