Final answer:
The illusion of thinking an airport 30NM away is only 10NM away is likely a distance compression illusion, not related to relativistic effects like time dilation or length contraction, which only occur near the speed of light.
Step-by-step explanation:
The illusion that could cause someone to think that an airport 30NM away is only 10NM away could potentially be attributed to a distance compression illusion. This type of illusion is not related to the observed phenomena at relativistic speeds, where time dilation and length contraction can cause the actual measured distances and times to differ for different observers. Based on our everyday experiences, there are no relativistic effects at play when traveling at conventional speeds, such as the speeds of cars or airplanes. Therefore, if the student is experiencing a discrepancy in perceived distance, it is more related to perception rather than physics.
Length contraction, which occurs when objects travel close to the speed of light (relativistic speeds), could theoretically cause the distances between stars or other astronomical bodies to appear contracted for someone traveling at such speeds, according to special relativity. But this would not apply to the perceived distance to the airport. A distance compression illusion in everyday life can arise from various psychological or environmental factors, leading to a misjudgment of the actual distance.