OUTCOME
By the end of this lesson you will be able to explain length contraction and determine its affect to an observer and be able to explain how the decay of muons as they fall through our atmosphere supports the notion of special relativity.
Objects appear to contracted to an observer who is in an inertial reference frame traveling at v relative to the object
Evidence for Einstein's special relativity are numerous. The fall of muons through our atmosphere is one of them.
LEARNING TASKS
Explain
1. Does it matter who is actually moving?
2. What is meant by the statement: "length is not invariant but is relative"
3. Does length contraction happen in all directions?
Explore and Elaborate
How fast does a 7 m car need to be traveling to fit into a 2 m car space?
Muon investigation
Evaluate
Try exercise 8.4 & 8.5