On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 02:06:41 GMT, wrote:

Well, with the velocity being only 3 meters / second, and the
acceleration being only 1 g, I can experience how objects change (on a
local level) when they move from one reference frame to another. For
example, some posters in this group believe if the rod is made long
enough, a person holding one end of the rod will be accelerated to a
velocity approaching the speed of light. But with parameters like 3
meters / second and a 1 g acceleration it is easy for me to see that
that notion is incorrect.

It is of no use using "everyday" accelerations when you use very long
stick. You cannot use "easy for me to see" in these cases.

If you accelerate a rigid rod of 1 ly by pulling the front with
approx. 9.5 m/s/s (a little less than normal gravity), the
acceleration of a point at the rod as seen in the rest system will
approach infinity as the point's position approches 1 ly from the
front end (and this is of course the point, where the rod will break,
no matter how strong it is)

Kim