asprung

Could length contraction viewed from other time frames cause damage? Stranger things seem to happen.

I did enjoy it- thanks asprung

Sounds good to me.

I dont undrestand.

Agreed

Does that mean he could age and die in his frame while staying young when viewed from outside frames?

Thank you. One more stupid question. If length contraction only occurs when viewed from an outside frame why is this not true with respect to time ie why would the spaceman only age slower when viewed from an outside frame?

THat is the problem. I view "now" as progressing uniformly ageing the universe but have no word to describe this diffrent than time.

The past toward the future.

Are you saying that the speed of light is an example as to why we cant apply logic or is there some relationship I am missing. I am trying to understand,nothing more.

Time as I see it is a basic force of nature that maintains the present "now" progressing along.

I see the difficulty in comprehending how the SAME thing can be contracted in one frame whlie not in another.

Length contraction without a corrosponding contraction of the other dimensions will lead to distorton which should be appearent without regard to size. I take it that the view is that this would not cause damage because it is not viewed in the frame of the spaceman. This takes me back to where I was at post #50.

If the length contraction occurs but has no effect what does it do?

No. The movie frame will remain in the reel. Energy and mass no longer remain in the past and have not yet arrived in the future.

1-Is there actual physical length contraction? 2-Is it only viewed from frames outside the spaceships frame such as earths? 3-Does it have any effect on the spacman?

Then I had it right,swansont backwards?

From swansont's post I seem to have it backwards. If the length contraction is observed by the spaceman it occurs in his frame and he could be injured.

I apologize for trouble I may have caused. I fully understand that according to SR, when viewed from earths frame, the spaceman will be velocity compressed (and possible injured) but in his own frame everything will be normal. What I can’t comprehend is how the single body of the spaceman can be both compressed and not compressed. Do we just have to have faith in SR or does someone have an explanation?

The decrease is a decrease in his own rate. He grows older slower with increasing velocity.

I am really confused. As the spaceman leaves earth he is ageing at a certain rate which decreases with velocity increase. This would seem to be an effect he experences in his own frame.

The spaceman who leaves earth and travels at a speed approaching C ages slower than he was ageing on earth. Thus the velocity is having a physical effect on him. Yet I am told that since he can consider himself to be at rest relative other time frames he would not experience the change. This is what I understand I have been told, and being “thick” I will not comment further.

Clocks give units for measurement of time. Here again as far as I know there is no clear definition for the underlying nature of time.

Clocks slow. I dont know that the fabric of time changes.

Than he was when he started the trip. Slower ageing - cell division etc. is as much as a physical effect as organ distortion.