To Robert,

I fail to see how my Observed length contraction is "utterly unrelated" to
the Observed length contraction as advocated by Special Relativity,
especially since my explanation makes sense whereas SR's doesn't.

However you are correct in assuming that the Observed slow down of the
parameters of a moving body will appear to speed up when it is traveling
towards, instead of away from, the observer, since the factor c / (v+c)
remains the same for the Observed:
- distance traveled,
- velocity,
- Doppler frequency and
- aging rate of the body.

Since on the way back the velocity of the body is now minus (-) v, the
Observed conversion factor becomes c / (c - v), which is greater instead of
less than one.

In other words on the way back, the distance traveled, the velocity, the
Doppler frequency and the aging rate of the body are now Observed to be
GREATER than they Actually are.

As a result the Observed parameters of the moving body are once more back in
synch. with the observer's Actual ('real time') parameters when the body
arrives home, since they have returned to the 'stationary' reference frame
of the observer.

That is to say, Observed reality and Actual reality coincide once more and
'The Twins' are the same Actual age again.

Len.
.................................................. ..................

"Tom Roberts" wrote in message
. ..
Len Gaasenbeek wrote:
When a rod travels away from the observer, the image of the end of the
rod
closest to him takes less time to reach him than the image of the front
end
of the rod. Consequently it will appear to be shorter than it really
is.

Sure. This is utterly unrelated to the "length contraction" of SR. For
instance, why didn't you mention the "length expansion" of a rod moving
toward you?


Tom Roberts