I Is the Killer Crate Paradox Resolved?

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The "Killer Crate Paradox" explores the implications of special relativity through a thought experiment involving a crate launched at a moving train to strike a physicist. Bob believes the crate can pass through the window due to its orientation and the same northward speed as the train, while Alice argues that length contraction will prevent it from fitting. The discussion reveals a misunderstanding of the transformations involved, with participants debating whether the two perspectives represent the same scenario or different configurations. Ultimately, the resolution hinges on the assassins' knowledge of relativity and the correct application of Lorentz transformations. The thread highlights the complexities of length contraction and the relativity of simultaneity in understanding motion between different frames.
  • #61
Orodruin said:
As I said earlier, there is nothing really wrong with the formulas. The wrong assumption is that the angle ##\varphi = 135^\circ## corresponds to the vertical line. This is true only in the rest frame of the ellipse.

Yes. For calculating ##d##, I should have used either another angle (that of the related point on the circle, before "compressing" the circle to an ellipse) or the other formula for ##r(\varphi)## in posting #59.
 
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