Posted on 03/22/2006 5:34:03 PM PST by KevinDavis
March 22, 2006: Consider a pair of brothers, identical twins. One gets a job as an astronaut and rockets into deep space. The other stays on Earth. When the traveling twin returns home, he discovers he's younger than his brother.
This is Einstein's Twin Paradox, and although it sounds strange, it is absolutely true. The theory of relativity tells us that the faster you travel through space, the slower you travel through time. Rocketing to Alpha Centauriwarp 9, pleaseis a good way to stay young.
(Excerpt) Read more at science.nasa.gov ...
Traveled In Space | Stayed Home |
Of course, radiation also travels at the speed of light and must catch you first....
I read a Sci-Fi novel set in 2028 that dealt with telomere therapy for cancer. The main plotline was that Alpha Centauri had gone Supernova and fried Earth's technology with an EMP effect. Can't recall the title or author.
PERFECT!
The best.
Captain, she can't take much more of this or she'll blow. Well, fix it Scotty.
Of course with outsde help they were able to go much faster. I wonder what speed they travelled when Kes sent them several thousand light years closer to the Alpha quadrant on Star Trek Voyager. Didn't Q also send them across a vast gulf of space?
The entire article {above} is an interesting read.
One thing I've never understood about the Twin Paradox is: if velocity is relative, how does the universe know which twin is "traveling" and is therefore the one who should age more slowly? If I understand Einstein's theories, if the twins are moving apart at near lightspeed, either one of them or both could have accelerated to cause that relative velocity.
Einstein was a big lib.
The traveler sent them enormous distances on the next generation as well.
Misleading title but great article. (Misleading, but it got me to read it!)
ping
If two things are approaching each other, each one traveling at the speed of light...what color is the bear?
Good question, I've never heard it before. Hopefully somone with more understanding than I will answer it. To expand your question, Earth isn't exactly standing still is it? And if the universe is expanding at a high rate of speed, then the space traveller could actually be traveling through space at a slower rate than the person on earth? eh?
actually this isn't the twin paradox at all. this is just a description of relativistic effects.
The twin paradox asks why couldn't you assume a reference frame where the rocket is stationary and the earth moves away and returns, in which case the Earth-bound person would be younger.
Gravitational acceleration is also equivalent to kinetic acceleration. Hence, if your rocket ship maintains an acceleration equal 10 yards per second squared during the round trip, then no difference will be seen when it returns. The trip to the galactic center and back would take about 5 years. :-,)
Do you have "Clams got Arms?" from that sequence?
Hilarious!
Dark Matter vs. Dark Energy.
freken hilarious
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.