Bell’s spaceships: a useful relativistic paradox

摘要

Bell's spaceship 'paradox' [1] in special relativity is a particularly good one to examine with students, because although it deals with accelerated motions, it can be dissolved with elementary space-time diagrams. Furthermore, it forces us to be very clear about the relativity of simultaneity, proper length, and the 'reality' of the Lorentz contraction.