Which two relativistic effects are commonly described as consequences of the Lorentz factor?

Which two relativistic effects are commonly described as consequences of the Lorentz factor?

• A. Time dilation and length contraction
• B. Mass-energy equivalence and gravity
• C. Time dilation and length contraction
• D. Electromagnetic induction and resistance

Answer: (C)

The Lorentz factor appears in how measurements of time and space transform between observers moving relative to each other. This leads to two familiar effects: a clock moving relative to you ticks more slowly than a stationary one (time dilation), and an object moving along its length appears shorter in the direction of motion (length contraction). Both arise from the same transformation that mixes time and space coordinates, with the factor γ = 1/√(1−v^2/c^2) getting larger as speed approaches that of light. So, moving clocks run slower by a factor γ, and moving rods shorten by 1/γ. The other options involve phenomena not directly tied to these kinematic consequences of the Lorentz factor.

The Lorentz factor appears in how measurements of time and space transform between observers moving relative to each other. This leads to two familiar effects: a clock moving relative to you ticks more slowly than a stationary one (time dilation), and an object moving along its length appears shorter in the direction of motion (length contraction). Both arise from the same transformation that mixes time and space coordinates, with the factor γ = 1/√(1−v^2/c^2) getting larger as speed approaches that of light. So, moving clocks run slower by a factor γ, and moving rods shorten by 1/γ. The other options involve phenomena not directly tied to these kinematic consequences of the Lorentz factor.