Lorentz contraction
E31562
Lorentz contraction is the special relativistic effect in which an object’s length along the direction of motion appears shortened to observers in a different inertial frame moving at high relative velocity.
Aliases (1)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
effect in special relativity
→
physical phenomenon → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Lorentz–FitzGerald contraction
→
length contraction → |
| appliesTo |
objects moving at relativistic speeds
→
rigid bodies only in idealized sense → |
| approximation |
negligible for v << c
→
|
| conserves |
spacetime interval
→
|
| contractedLengthMeasuredIn |
frame where object is moving
→
|
| contrastsWith |
Galilean invariance of lengths
→
|
| dependsOn |
relative velocity between inertial frames
→
|
| describes |
shortening of measured length of an object in direction of motion
→
|
| direction |
along direction of relative motion only
→
|
| doesNotAffect |
dimensions perpendicular to direction of motion
→
|
| doesNotImply |
physical crushing of the object in its own rest frame
→
|
| domain |
high-velocity (relativistic) regime
→
|
| expressedAs |
L = L0 / gamma
→
|
| field |
special relativity
→
|
| frameDependent |
yes
→
|
| fullyExplainedBy |
Einstein’s special theory of relativity
→
|
| historicalOrigin |
FitzGerald–Lorentz hypothesis
→
Lorentz ether theory → |
| implies |
moving rods appear shorter along motion direction
→
|
| isConsequenceOf |
Lorentz invariance
→
constancy of speed of light → postulates of special relativity → |
| limitBehavior |
contraction increases as v approaches c
→
no contraction when v = 0 → |
| mathematicalForm |
L = L0 * sqrt(1 - v^2/c^2)
→
|
| mathematicalTool |
Lorentz factor gamma = 1/sqrt(1 - v^2/c^2)
→
|
| measurementDependsOn |
definition of simultaneity in observer’s frame
→
|
| observationalStatus |
indirectly confirmed in high-energy particle experiments
→
|
| occursIn |
inertial reference frames
→
|
| parameter |
c (speed of light in vacuum)
→
v (relative velocity) → |
| properLengthMeasuredIn |
rest frame of the object
→
|
| relatedConcept |
Lorentz transformation
→
Minkowski spacetime → proper length → relativity of simultaneity → time dilation → |
| requires |
v < c
→
|
| requiresForMeasurement |
simultaneous determination of endpoints in observer’s frame
→
|
| symbol |
L for contracted length
→
L0 for proper length → |
| usedIn |
analysis of particle accelerator experiments
→
astrophysical jet modeling → relativistic kinematics → |
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Lorentz contraction
("Lorentz–FitzGerald contraction")
→
|
alsoKnownAs |
|
Michelson–Morley experiment
→
|
relatedConcept |