I am currently reading Einstein's book "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory--A Clear Explanation that Anyone Can Understand" (I do not possess the required knowledge to read his original works). I have just come across his explanation for why 'c' is the limiting velocity. According to Einstein, the length of a rod in motion, when observed from a stationary reference frame, is the sq.root of (1 - V*2/C*2) times the length of the rod at rest. We can clearly see that as the velocity of the rod approaches c, its length approaches zero. Therefore c is the limiting velocity of the rod, or any other body in motion.
The problem with this explanation is that his equation does not actually give the length of the rod. It only gives the length of the rod as it appears to an observer in a stationary frame of reference. Therefore, there should be no problem with that value approaching, or even becoming zero as we are not saying that the actual length of the rod is becoming zero, we are merely saying that the length of the rod will appear to be zero to an observer in a stationary frame of reference.
The problem with this explanation is that his equation does not actually give the length of the rod. It only gives the length of the rod as it appears to an observer in a stationary frame of reference. Therefore, there should be no problem with that value approaching, or even becoming zero as we are not saying that the actual length of the rod is becoming zero, we are merely saying that the length of the rod will appear to be zero to an observer in a stationary frame of reference.
