No definite viewpoint for the accelerating traveler?

PAllen

Quote by Alain2.7183

As far as I can recall, in both the TV show and in his book, Brian didn't seem to be presenting his method as "just one of several different possible answers" to the question of "What is the current age of the inertial person, according to the accelerating person?". My impression was that he seemed to present it as THE answer.

This is Brian Greene in a pop-sci setting. Further, you are probably reading more into than Greene intended - I doubt he explicitly said this is the one valid way to look at things. A generic issue with pop-sci is that you select one simple, WOW point of view to describe about a more complex, multi-faceted situation. Also, if you want to argue by reference to authority, I could respond my noting that never in Einstein's life did he use such lines of simultaneity in either SR or GR.

DaleSpam

Quote by Alain2.7183

Brian didn't seem to be presenting his method as "just one of several different possible answers" to the question of "What is the current age of the inertial person, according to the accelerating person?". My impression was that he seemed to present it as THE answer.

THE answer to what question?

If the question is "how can you do physics in a non-inertial frame" then it is not even an answer let alone THE answer. If the question is "what is the naive non-inertial simultaneity convention which most novices tend to adopt and which is useless for any actual physics" then I would agree that it is probably THE answer.

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