- #1
Hiero
- 322
- 68
Consider a meter stick sliding along its length towards a hole which is a meter wide in the direction of motion. Suppose the meter stick moves with speed so that the gamma factor is 10.
Then in the stick’s frame, the hole is 10cm and should be easy to cross. But in the hole’s frame, the stick is only 10cm and so should easily fall in.
Does the stick fall or not? Why?
I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this scenario. (Seems similar to the ”ladder paradox” but that is just an example of the relativity of simultaneity; I don’t see how that will save us in the stick-hole version.)
Then in the stick’s frame, the hole is 10cm and should be easy to cross. But in the hole’s frame, the stick is only 10cm and so should easily fall in.
Does the stick fall or not? Why?
I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this scenario. (Seems similar to the ”ladder paradox” but that is just an example of the relativity of simultaneity; I don’t see how that will save us in the stick-hole version.)