PH 122 Chapter Notes - Chapter 37: Inertial Frame Of Reference, Lorentz Transformation, Proper Length
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If one observer finds them to be simultaneous, the other generally will disagree. If two successive events occur at the same place in an inertial reference frame, the interval ( ) between the two events, measured on a single clock where they occur, is the proper time interval or proper time between them. Observers in frames moving relative to that frame will always measure a larger value ( 37-2 the relativity of length: because simultaneity is a relative concept, length (measured in account of the two respective ends) is also a relative quantity. The length of an object at rest ( ) measured by an observer in an inertial reference frame is referred to as the proper length or rest length. Observers in frames moving relative to that frame and parallel to the respective length will always measure a shorter length; this phenomenon is known as length contraction.
