(physics) Synonym of Supplee's paradox

(physics) A physical paradox that arises when considering the buoyant force exerted on a relativistic bullet (or in a submarine) immersed in a fluid subject to an ambient gravitational field. If a bullet has neutral buoyancy at rest in a perfect fluid and is then launched at relativistic speed, observers at rest within the fluid would conclude that the bullet should sink, since its density will increase due to the length contraction effect. On the other hand, in the bullet's proper frame it is the moving fluid that becomes denser and hence the bullet would float.

plural of Abilene paradox

The situation where a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that goes against the preferences of many or all of the individuals in the group, because the individuals choose to side with what they believe is the majority preference.

(physics) A relativistic paradox concerning the concept of Born rigidity within special relativity, where an ideally rigid cylinder that is made to rotate about its axis of symmetry. The radius R as seen in the laboratory frame is always perpendicular to its motion and should therefore be equal to its value R₀ when stationary. However, the circumference should appear Lorentz-contracted to a smaller value than at rest. This leads to the contradiction that R = R₀ and R < R₀.

The observation that, because of the very large number of degrees of freedom in an unfolded polypeptide chain, the molecule has an astronomically large number of possible conformations, and therefore sequentially sampling all the possible conformations is not practical, yet most small proteins fold spontaneously on a millisecond or even microsecond timescale.

(logic) A paradox arising from vague predicates and repeatedly applying a small difference. For example, removing one grain from a heap of sand still leaves a heap, yet removing enough grains will eventually not leave a heap.

plural of sorites paradox

The situation in which a phenomenon being observed for study is unwittingly influenced by the presence of the observer.

(economics) The apparently paradoxical observation that people's reported happiness varies directly with income both among and within nations, but over time happiness does not trend upward as income continues to grow.