Collision between the meter stick and the plate


A meter stick lies along the x axis of the lab frame and approaches the origin with velocity ß. A thin plate parallel to the xz laboratory plane moves upward in the y direction with speed ßy. The plate has a circular hole with a diameter of one meter centered on the y axis. The center of the meter stick arrives at the lab frame origin at the same time in the lab frame as the rising plate arrives in the y=0 plane. Since the meter stick is Lorentz contracted in the lab frame it will easily pass through the hole in the rising plate. Therefore there will be no collision between the meter stick as each continues its motion. However, someone who objects to this conclusion can make the following argument: In the rocket frame in which the meter stick is at rest, the meter stick is not contracted, while in this frame the hole in the plate IS contracted. Therefore, there must be a collision between the meter stick and the plate.

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Physics: Collision between the meter stick and the plate
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