[lawr-uh
nts-fits-jer-uhld, lohr-] 
| the hypothesis that a moving body exhibits a contraction in the direction of motion when its velocity is close to the speed of light. |
[fits-jer-uhld lawr-ents, -lohr-] , Lorentz-FitzGerald contraction, Lorentz contraction, length contraction. | Lo·rentz-Fitz·Ger·ald contraction (lôr'ənts-fĭts-jěr'ld, lōr'-) n. The shortening of an object along its direction of motion as its speed approaches the speed of light, as measured by an observer at rest with respect to the body. Also called length contraction, Lorentz contraction. [After Hendrik Lorentz and George Francis FitzGerald (1851-1901), Irish physicist.] |
| Lorentz-FitzGerald contraction (lôr'ənts-fĭts-jěr'ld) Pronunciation Key
The shortening of an object along its direction of motion as its speed approaches the speed of light, as measured by an observer at rest with respect to the body. Lorentz-FitzGerald contraction is an effect predicted by Einstein's theory of Special Relativity. It is named for Dutch physicist Hendrik Lorentz and Irish physicist George Francis FitzGerald (1851-1901), who independently proposed such a contraction. See more at relativity. |