Suppositions And Cautions:

This is a curious phenomenon. You may wonder, depend on this outcome, about the shapes of photons, the particles of visible light and all other EM radiation are involved. The photons travel at the speed of light. Does this mean that they are much thin, flat disks or squares or triangles hurtling sideways via space? No one has ever viewed a photon; therefore no one identifies how they are shaped. It is fascinating to assume that they are 2-dimensional things and as such contain zero volume. Though, when they contain zero volume, how can we say that they exist?

The scientists know a lot about what takes place to objects as they come near the speed of light, though we should not extrapolate and try to say what would occur when the speed of light could be achieved by a material thing. We will know that physical object (like a space ship) can attain the speed of light; therefore the notion of a real object being pressed down to zero thickness is nothing more than an academic fantasy. Since for photons, comparing them with material particles like bullets or baseballs is a baseless intuitive leap. We cannot fetch a photon to rest, nor we fire a bullet or throw a baseball at the speed of light. Since they may say in certain portions of the country, "The baseballs and photons aren't the similar."

PROBLEM:

Assume that a space ship measures 19.5 m long at rest. Determine how long will it look when it zooms by at a speed of 2.40 x 10⁸ m/s?

SOLUTION:

At first, convert the speed to a fraction of the speed of light and let say this fraction u:

u = (2.40 x 10⁸)/ (3.00 x 10⁸)

   = 0.800

Then use this formula for spatial distortion to find L, that is the fraction of its at rest length:

L = (1 - u²)^1/2

    = (1 - 0.800²)^1/2

    = (1 - 0.640)^1/2

    = 0.360^1/2

    = 0.600

Lastly, multiply the at-rest length of the vessel, 19.5 m, by 0.600 to obtain 11.7 m. This is how long the vessel will emerge to be as it whizzes by at 2.40 x 10⁸ m/s.