On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 8:53:14 AM UTC-7 Quentin Anciaux wrote:

AG, your "last word" is just another rehash of misunderstandings wrapped in 
feigned profundity. Let’s address it directly:


I'm not feigning anything. We just disagree and you find that intolerable. 
AG 


1. "The paradox exists if one assumes the car fits and doesn’t fit at the 
same time": 

This is not the paradox at all—it’s a strawman. The frames disagree about 
whether the car fits due to their differing simultaneity, which is exactly 
what special relativity predicts. There’s no shared universal time or clock 
between frames, so no contradiction exists.


Yes, this is the root of the paradox, as Clark claimed; the assumption that 
the car and garage frames share the same clocks. And I don't claim they do. 
AG


2. "Disagreement on simultaneity just shows fitting and not fitting cannot 
occur simultaneously":
Correct, and this is the resolution. The frames disagree on the timing of 
events, which fully explains why one sees the car fitting and the other 
doesn’t. This disagreement is the heart of relativity, not a flaw.


I see it as indicating a possible flaw in SR. And last I heard, I am 
entitled to my opinion, but maybe not in Belgium. AG 

3. "It really doesn’t resolve the paradox": 

Yes, it does. The so-called paradox is fully resolved when simultaneity is 
accounted for. If you’re still clinging to the idea that there’s some 
deeper contradiction, it’s because you’re stuck on pre-relativistic notions 
of absolute time and space.


AFAICT, nothing to do with any notions of absolute time and space. AG 


4. "It depends on relativity showing the car can and cannot fit regardless 
of time": 

No, it doesn’t. Relativity shows that the car fits in the garage’s frame 
and doesn’t fit in the car’s frame, with both perspectives being valid 
within their own simultaneity. This is not contradictory—it’s precisely how 
SR works.


Sounds like you're a True Believer. AG


What "surely seems inherently contradictory" is only so because you refuse 
to fully grasp how relativity dismantles classical intuitions. The paradox 
is resolved; the only thing that persists is your refusal to let it go.


I think I grasp the theory well enough, if not perfectly. As I wrote, I am 
entitled to my opinion, and you are entitled to yours. Now do me a favor 
and don't respond. AG




Le sam. 18 janv. 2025, 19:24, Alan Grayson <[email protected]> a écrit :



On Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 3:52:43 AM UTC-7 Alan Grayson wrote:

On Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 10:17:59 AM UTC-7 Alan Grayson wrote:

We were arguing about is whether I ever changed my mind. Quentin doesn't 
believe I did. What do you say? More important is this: if fitting and not 
fitting do not happen at the same time. AG

They do happen at the same time as clearly shown on my diagrams.  In the 
garage frame the entrance door closes before the exit door has to open.  
The car is in the garage for about 2.5 nano-seconds. In the car frame the 
doors are open at the same time so the car extends thru both.

Brent


Since you know SR well enough to know that every frame has its own clocks 
and its own time. Consequently there's no single same time ("They do happen 
at the same time ... ")  for the car and garage frames to share. That being 
the case, I'd appreciate your interpretation of your words above. TY, AG 


Brent; if you have time please reply to above question. 

My likely last word on the parking paradox problem. As Clark posted, the 
paradox exists if one assumes the car fits and doesn't fit AT THE SAME 
TIME. Of course, this is not a realistic scenario in SR, since it assumes 
the car and garage frame share the same clocks. But they don't. And the 
proof of that is the disagreement on simultaneity. So, IMO, using this 
disagreement just shows that fitting and not fitting cannot occur 
simultaneously. However, also IMO, it really doesn't resolve the paradox 
which doesn't simply depend on contradictory events occurring 
simultaneously. It depends on relaviity showing that the car can and cannot 
fit in the garage regardless of the time this occurs, and this prediction 
surely seems inherently contradictory even if predicted by SR. 

AG

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