A spacecraft has a length of 100 m when parked on Earth. It is now moving toward a tunnel with a speed of 0.8c (Lo=1.66 L). The lady living near the tunnel can control doors that open and shut at each end of the tunnel, which is 65 m long. The doors are open as the spaceship approaches, but in the very moment that she sees the back of the spaceship in the tunnel, she closes both doors and then immediately opens them again.  • According to the lady living near the tunnel: a) no door hit the spaceship because for her the doors weren't closed simultaneously   b) no door hit the spacecraft because length contraction makes the spaceship only 60 m long

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
5th Edition
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Chapter9: Relativity
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 57P
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A spacecraft has a length of 100 m when parked on Earth. It is now moving toward a tunnel with a speed of 0.8c (Lo=1.66 L). The lady living near the tunnel can control doors that open and shut at each end of the tunnel, which is 65 m long. The doors are open as the spaceship approaches, but in the very moment that she sees the back of the spaceship in the tunnel, she closes both doors and then immediately opens them again.
 • According to the lady living near the tunnel:

a) no door hit the spaceship because for her the doors weren't closed simultaneously
 
b) no door hit the spacecraft because length
contraction makes the spaceship only 60 m long
 
c) no door hits the spaceship because length contraction has made the tunnel 109 m long
 
d) a door hits the spaceship
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