Tim Cook <z99### [at] bellsouthnet> wrote:
> I'm skeptical.  The version that I read involved a king and a large 
> piece of lumber that was longer than the Great Hall and a wager about it 
> fitting between the two doors, using relativity to boil down to 
> *appearing* to fit in the hall, saying nothing about actually changing 
> dimensions.

  Relativistic contraction is not a simple optical illusion. It is a
true physical contraction.
  If you think that it's only an optical illusion then the train track
thought experiment will seem counterintuitive and impossible. However,
AFAIK if relativity is right, the trains do indeed pass each other
without colliding. It's not only an optical illusion, but a true
contraction.

  The thought experiment is mentioned here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder_paradox#Relativistic_trains_passing

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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