Calculating Length Contraction: The Distance between Stars Contracts when You Travel at High Velocity

First note that a light year (ly) is a convenient unit of distance on an astronomical scale—it is the distance light travels in a year. For part (a), note that the 4.300 ly distance between the Alpha Centauri and the Earth is the proper distance $L_0$, because it is measured by an Earth-bound observer to whom both bodies are (approximately) stationary. To the astronaut, the Earth and the Alpha Centauri are moving by at the same velocity, and so the distance between them is the contracted length $L$. In part (b), we are given $\gamma$, and so we can find $v$ by rearranging the definition of $\gamma$ to express $v$ in terms of $c$.

1. Identify the knowns. $L_0-\mathrm{4.300\; ly}$; $\gamma =\text{30}\text{.}\text{00}$
2. Identify the unknown. $L$
3. Choose the appropriate equation. $L=\frac{L_0}{\gamma }$
4. Rearrange the equation to solve for the unknown.
   $$\begin{array}{lll}L& =& \frac{L_0}{\gamma }\\ & =& \frac{\mathrm{4.300\; ly}}{\text{30.00}}\\ & =& \text{0.1433 ly}\end{array}$$

   28.23

1. Identify the known. $\gamma =\text{30}\text{.}\text{00}$
2. Identify the unknown. $v$ in terms of $c$
3. Choose the appropriate equation. $\gamma =\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}$
4. Rearrange the equation to solve for the unknown.
   $$\begin{array}{lll}\gamma & =& \frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}\\ \text{30.00}& =& \frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}\end{array}$$

   28.24

   Squaring both sides of the equation and rearranging terms gives

   $$\text{900}\text{.}0=\frac{1}{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}$$

   28.25

   so that

   $$1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}=\frac{1}{\text{900}\text{.}0}$$

   28.26

   and

   $$\frac{v^2}{c^2}=1-\frac{1}{\text{900}\text{.}0}=0\text{.}\text{99888}\text{.}\text{.}\text{.}.$$

   28.27

   Taking the square root, we find

   $$\frac{v}{c}=0\text{.}\text{99944},$$

   28.28

   which is rearranged to produce a value for the velocity

   $$\text{v=}0\text{.}\text{9994}c.$$

   28.29

First, remember that you should not round off calculations until the final result is obtained, or you could get erroneous results. This is especially true for special relativity calculations, where the differences might only be revealed after several decimal places. The relativistic effect is large here ($\text{γ=}\text{30}\text{.}\text{00}$), and we see that $v$ is approaching (not equaling) the speed of light. Since the distance as measured by the astronaut is so much smaller, the astronaut can travel it in much less time in her frame.