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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:Scheuerf said: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?
- 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
Length contraction of particles is a phenomenon that occurs in the theory of relativity, where the length of an object appears to decrease when observed from a different frame of reference that is moving at high speeds relative to the object.
Length contraction occurs due to the relative motion between an object and the observer. As an object moves at high speeds, its length appears to contract in the direction of motion, while its width and height remain unchanged.
The formula for calculating length contraction is L = L0 / γ, where L is the contracted length, L0 is the rest length of the object, and γ is the Lorentz factor which depends on the velocity of the object.
Yes, length contraction only occurs at speeds close to the speed of light. At lower speeds, the contraction is negligible and cannot be observed.
Length contraction can have significant implications in fields such as particle physics, where the contraction of subatomic particles can affect their behavior and interactions. It also plays a crucial role in the development of technologies such as particle accelerators and GPS systems.