[12th_Monkey]

contraction? I thought that length theoretically increased as an object approached light? Just like matter falling into a black hole is supposed to spaghettify.

[ETL]

Contraction? I thought that length theoretically increased as an object approached light? Just like matter falling into a black hole is supposed to spaghettify.

To something moving at speeds near light, the distance they've yet to travel shortens. This is apart from the obvious fact that their motion causes the distance to grow shorter. The spaghettification you can visualize by stretching out the time clock illustration I posted (horizontally). ie, by stretching it out it represents speeds approaching light. Or greater and greater effects of time dilation. In other words, if v could equal c (which in theory it can't) the triangle would flatten out to infinity and it would take an infinite amount of time between tick and tock (as an outside observer sees it).

[alexander_busek]

contraction? I thought that length theoretically increased as an object approached light? Just like matter falling into a black hole is supposed to spaghettify.

That is a purely mechanical and unrelated effect you are describing there - and one which the observer falling into the black hole would himself observe - long before he achieved relativistic velocities. Actually, tidal forces (or more accurately: differential gravitational forces) would tend to form whatever object falls into a black hole into a conical shape.

Regards,

[Boogieman]

That’s an effect due to extreme differences in gravity, between the head of the object and the tail of the object. It’s a different phenomenon from length contraction, which is simply a consequence of any motion.