Special Relativity
What really happens when things move close to the speed of light: shrinking lengths, slowing clocks, and observers who disagree and are both right.
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Special Relativity: Fit a 100 foot Train into an 80 foot Barn
A 100 ft train races through an 80 ft barn at 80% of light speed. The farmer says it fits; the passengers say it never does. See length contraction, time dilation and out-of-sync clocks, and how both sides can be right.
- Lab: Relativity Playground Drive the train yourself: change the speed, switch frames, scrub time.