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As measured by an observer on Earth, a spacecraft runaway on Earth has a length

ID: 1989499 • Letter: A

Question

As measured by an observer on Earth, a spacecraft runaway on Earth has a length of 1200m. What is the length of the runway as measured by the pilot of a spacecraft flying past at a speed of 8.00*10^7 m/s relative to the Earth?

An observer on Earth measures the time interval from when the spacecraft is directly over one end of the runway until it is directly over the other end. What result does she get?

The pilot of the spacecraft measures the time it takes him to travel from one end of the runway to the other end. What value does he get?

Explanation / Answer

a)length=l =vl/c =(8*10^7/3*10^8)*1200=320m

b)time interval=l/v =1200/8*10^7 =1.5*10-5s

c)time interval=normal time interval/ =1.5*10^-5/(1-(8*10^7/3*10^8)2)=1.55*10-5s