FitzGerald contraction

 
Pronunciation: /fɪtsˈdʒɛr(ə)ld/
(also FitzGerald–Lorentz contraction)

noun

Physics
  • the shortening of a moving body in the direction of its motion, especially at speeds close to that of light.

Origin:

named after George. F. FitzGerald (1851–1901), Irish physicist, and H. A. Lorentz (see Lorentz, Hendrik Antoon), who independently postulated the theory in 1892