Rigid body and the 'length contraction paradoxes' in special relativity

摘要

In physics, the concept of a rigid body (RB) implies a body that retains its form, i.e., even its volume, as long as it is not subject to forces that destroy the connections between its components. However, according to the special theory of relativity (STR), a RB will be distorted even without these forces, if it makes even the simplest motions in vacuum. The treatment of a RB according to the STR is closely related to the "length contraction hypothesis": according to the relativists who stated that "length contraction" is true, there is no RB in the STR; while according to the relativists who stated that "length contraction is only velocity perspective," the term RB continues to be valid in the STR, but must be redefined. Here, it will be proved that this STR claim does not hold true for any of these options. The STR "paradoxes" related to the length contraction find a consistent solution in physics, while maintaining the RB concept, only if we assume that the length contraction of bodies is only an illusion.