Spherical Cow Undergoes Lorentz Contraction

Spherical Cow Undergoes Lorentz Contraction
relativity-memes, physics-memes, spherical-cow-memes, lorentz-contraction-memes, einstein-memes | ScienceHumor.io

Physics professors have two modes: either oversimplify everything ("assume a spherical cow") or bombard you with relativistic effects. This meme beautifully combines both academic traditions by showing what happens when our idealized bovine approaches 87% of light speed. The cow gets squashed along its direction of motion due to Lorentz contraction—a real effect from Einstein's relativity where objects appear compressed when moving at relativistic speeds. The footnote about ignoring the Terrell-Penrose effect (which would actually make the cow appear rotated rather than contracted) is that perfect touch of academic pedantry that makes me think the creator has suffered through at least three advanced physics courses.

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