The ladder paradox (or barn-pole paradox) is a thought experiment in special relativity. It involves a ladder travelling horizontally and undergoing a length contraction, the result of which being that it can fit into a much smaller garage. On the other hand, from the point of view of an observer moving with the ladder, it is the garage that is moving and the garage will be contracted to an even smaller size, therefore being unable to contain the ladder at all. This apparent paradox results from the assumption of absolute simultaneity. In relativity, simultaneity is relative to each observer and thus the ladder can fit into the garage in both instances.
Read more about Ladder Paradox: Paradox, Relative Simultaneity, Resolution, Ladder Paradox and Transmission of Force, Man Falling Into Grate Variation, Bar and Ring Paradox
Famous quotes containing the words ladder and/or paradox:
“A funny business, a woman’s career. The things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you’ll need them again when you get back to being a woman.”
—Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–1993)
“...This
is the paradox of vision:
Sharp perception softens
our existence in the world.”
—Susan Griffin (b. 1943)