How can we verify the 3 consequences of relativity?
1 Answer
Three consequences of relativity are that fast moving objects experience time dilation, length contraction and mass increase.
Explanation:
Time dilation has been verified by observing that atomic clocks on aircraft and satellites run at different rates. In fact there are two types of time dilation. Special Relativity (SR) predicts that clocks on fast moving craft appear to run slower. General Relativity (GR) predicts that clocks run slower in a gravitational field.
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) age slightly slower than people on Earth due to the slowing of time due to velocity being more than the speeding up of time due to weaker gravity. Clocks on GPS satellites run slightly faster than those on Earth due to the speeding up due to weaker gravity being more than the slowing down due to velocity.
There is also evidence that short lived particles travelling near the speed of light lasting longer due to the particles experiencing time running slower.
Length contraction is a consequence of time dilation. It is hard to observe. Though gold atoms when accelerated to speeds approaching light have been observed to appear flattened.
Objects get more massive as their velocity increases. The electrons in the outer orbitals of heavy elements are travelling close to the speed of light and are as a result more massive. This changes the chemical properties of heavier atoms and is consistent with observed properties.
