Twin paradox Definition and 315 Threads

People are intrigued by Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. They are fascinated by the Twin Paradox and the slowing down of moving clocks. However it is often forgotten that Einstein's SR, in spite of being weird to the day to day speeds we are accustomed to, saved Physics from something...

hi .. i don't understand in the twin paradox and in general and special relativity why time changes if speed changes thank you

Hello! I'm new here, and already did a search. Sorry if the answer is elsewhere, I just couldn't find it! I'm writing a sci-fi novel and have been brushing up on general and special relativity. I'm running into a small problem with the twin paradox, and how to describe it from another planets...

Hey everyone, I've searched the threads for an answer to my question but came up short. Basically what I want to know is how does time dilation relate to the twin paradox. I'm a newb to relativity and just started reading about it last night. I hit this bump and I'm trying to get over it...

I'm having a little trouble understanding the equivalence principle explanation of the twin paradox. I understand that the resolution to the paradox according to the equivalence principle is that the non-traveling twin has a higher gravitational potential energy in the pseudo-gravitational...

Hi, I am a little confused with this paradox. I asked my professor about it and he didnt really give a convincing answer. So the scenario basically seems to be some twins on earth(or anywhere) at rest, and then one leaves at relativistic speed for some time then comes back to see that his/her...

According to Lorentz, time is [SIZE="5"]always dilated.So think of two twins, Speedo and Goslo. - Goslo stays on Earth and drinks tea. - Speedo gets into a rocket, zooms off into outer space and zooms back.Imagine YOU are Speedo. You zoom off, and when you return to Earth, you find that Goslo...

I worked through a simple twin paradox problem, and I think I have the correct solution. However, I wanted to confirm that my numbers are correct. There is nothing fancy about the solution, but it resolves the "paradox" completely for me. Every other resolution I have looked at either leaves...

Hello, All I read the article: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/TwinParadox/twin_paradox.html But, I cannot understand how just asymmetry (without acceleration) can cause less age of moving observer. The article says: I cannot understand why do Terence see an...

Can the twin paradox provide us with insight into time curvature? If my twin boards a ship that can travel near the speed of light, special relativity says that on arrival back on Earth, my twin should be younger that I am. Has my twin experienced a time curvature?

[later edit: Sorry for the title -- I am glad to see this was interesting enough to spark discussion.] Twin A takes off and leaves Twin B behind. Rather than switching on the reverse-thrust, slowing down, and beginning the journey back home (an acceleration that would be distinctly detectable...

Acceleration doesn't "cause" the Twin Paradox? In a recent review of a physics textbook, the reviewer is critical of the author of the book because the the author doesn't correct the persistent notion of many students that it is the acceleration of one of the twins that "causes"[reviewer's...

I like astrophysics,so i read books relating to it.I am also determined to make my career in the same.At present i am reading a book ,which includes brief about Einstein's 'Relativity and special relativity' theory.It also explains to some extent the 'Twin paradox' and 'Time dilation'...

If in the twin paradox instead of the twin traveling to the distant star let's say he stays and the Earth along with that star moves (imagining a rod joining Earth and star moves) and the star reaching this twin goes back at the same speed(along with earth) now i guess the twin whos stationary...

Let's say there are two synchronized clocks on Earth. One leaves the Earth going at .8c and travels in uniform motion for one year. At the one year mark the clock is handed off to another spaceship coming towards Earth at the same speed of .8c. The clock eventually makes it back to Earth...

This question about the twin paradox(twins A,B). I hope everyone knows the statement. I have read explanations for this but they differ. Some authors say twin(say B) who takes the trip accelerates so he can't be an inertial frame of reference. Some say it has nothing to do with acceleration and...

I'd just like someone to clarify that my argument is correct here. Assume twin A stays on Earth and B goes 2 light years away and then back to Earth at a velocity of 0.8c From Earth frame of reference: Twin A makes the calculation that 2/0.8=2.5 years will be needed for the outward...

The twin paradox seems not to be understand by everybody. But if you see it like this (see below), everybody would understand it. Why are we getting older on Earth ? Our (relative) time system is the system we compare time to the axes of the Earth. If we start in 1 point on the surface...

hi... In the twin paradox, we consider that one of the twins went out of the surface of Earth ACCELERATING , then suddenly TURNED BACK and then DECELERATED back towards the Earth with some relativistic velocity………. Why is it so? What if the twin goes on a round trip around the Earth and...

Lets say we have triplets on Earth A B and C. B and C goes from Earth together in the same direction at some relativistic speed let's say lorentz factor one milion. Now after one year passes from the point of A, brother B decides to stop. Now after one more year from the point of A passes...

There have been a couple of posts over the last few months that posit a relativistic-speed path in a circle around the Earth and I want to make sure I correctly understand the ramifications. It's the twin paradox in a circle. SO ... here's a scenario that I think will solidify it for me: This...

Here is an explanations due to Daniel F. Styer, Prof Physics at Oberlin Daniel's original is at https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4". He uses general relativity and the equivalence principle. The equivalence principle is not entirely true -- it IS possible to...

So in the twin paradox, the traveling twin ages less in the end. According to time dilation, each twin sees time passing in the other twin's frame of reference slower than his own. However, if the twin on Earth is ultimately older, doesn't time have to appear to be moving faster for the twin...

Hello, Still puzzled about the twin paradox (one guy stays on the ground, the other goes travelling). If we see the two twins as points in 3D space, the only thing that changes, is the distance between two. That is, the two guys are in totally symmetrical positions, and there should be no...

We think of two very similar scenarios: 1. Two twins are hoovering with their spacecraft s at an earthlike distance A from the Sun and with no velocity with respect to the Sun. Then one of the twins suddenly accelerates to 100 km per second in some direction. He is now the accelerated twin...

We think of two very similar scenarios: 1. Two twins are hoovering with their spacecraft s at an earthlike distance A from the Sun and with no velocity with respect to the Sun. Then one of the twins suddenly accelerates to 100 km per second in some direction. He is now the accelerated twin...

Hello, I was talking with my Physics professor the other day about something I could do in Special Relativity, since I'm only in Physics III and haven't experienced much of it, yet find it very interesting. He mentioned that I could do stuff with the Twin Paradox. Now I know the basic idea...

Twin "Paradox" with no asymmetry Here is another variation of the twin paradox. Suppose we let both twins start their journey from a space station far from any heavenly bodies, so that the whole experiment can be carried out in free space. The twins Jack and John are equipped with identical...

Everyone knows the situation. The one twin takes off in a rocket, and both twins see the others clock as running slow. Upon the return, its the one who has experienced acceleration that ends up being incorrect. So at some point, the "moving" twins view must show time on his brothers Earth clock...

can twin paradox be solved,if no, what r the difficulties scientist face to solve it?? or is there a solution on it.

how is twin paradox resolved in case of no/zero acceleration/deceleration? two twins one on Earth and other on a ship moving at constant velocity (say 80% speed of light). the other twin does not turn around ..thus no acceleration/deceleration. how we resolve the paradox now? twin A will say...

Hi, I'm new here. This question may already have an answer but I didn't find it. Sorry if there's already one. It's a static version of the twin paradox, without travel and without twins. We have 2 circles C and C' that are superposed. C is fixed, with time t and co-ordinate x along the circle...

So we have covered relativity a couple weeks ago and I've been thinking about the twin paradox. It is when one twin travels on a high speed ship to some distant planet and back. But since all frames of reference are equivalent, each twin measures the other to be younger. My book explained that...

twin paradox alone kills special relativity: the story: A stays on the planet, B round-travels by spaceship; when back, based on spectral relativity, B youngs. analysis: when special relativity is be applied, the property difference between planet and spaceship is never used; so...

According to what I have researched in Relativity (thanks to you guys) there is no such thing as absolute motion, time, or distance. I had a question about this paradox mentioned. Paraphrase: Two people that are exactly 20 years old are on earth. One decides to fly to planetX and some...

I am confused about the twin paradox. Let's imagine Mike and Angela are twins. Mike stays on Earth, and Angela rockets off, away from Earth at close to the speed of light, with the intention of making a round trip back to Earth at the end of her voyage. My question is this: why wouldn't...

Hi, i want to ask about the basic explanation of twin paradox. In the explanation it says one twin has to accelarate to come back and the symmetry is broken and so one twin is older than other. Could you explain this symmetry and aging relation?

Bob sets on a voyage with a velocity 0.8c for total 6 years, leaving back Dave on the space station. On return Dave finds him younger by 4 years. Reciprocal results in time measurements in relativity make the theory redundant but here we see application of time dilation equation. This is...

Hi, I'm an undergraduate physics student trying to comprehend why the twin paradox is not a paradox. The standard reply usually amounts to this: the dude in the spaceship has to turn around at some point to come back to Earth. So he accelerated during his journey (by changing his direction...

I may not be right exactly but however i stand corrected where necessary. Twin paradox experiment explains time dilation in space time. My understanding is like this, assuming twins at 10yrs each. If one makes a space travel and the other is at stationed on Earth (both being at initial...

Again on twin paradox! Hi! I'm trying to definitely solve the twin paradox (after 5 years of efforts :) ) In every physics textbook, it is studied the motion of the twin in an inertial frame (so the proper time is that measured in the twin frame), so we can express time delta t in the Earth...

Folks, apologies for reviving a thread that I know has been picked over, but I am a bit confused. I understand the explanation that "solves" the Twin Paradox -- Twin B in the rocketship flying close to light speed undergoes acceleration and deceleration on his outbound trip away from Earth...

Hi, I've seen many variations of explanations of the twin paradox using special relativity, but i haven't yet seen an explanation that bothers to take into account the initial acceleration of the traveling twin away from planet Earth. Is it safe to say that this can be neglected...

I've read most of the Paradox within a Paradox thread but rather than hijack it to get to my point I thought I'd start a new thread. First, if this has already been addressed from this angle my apologies, but it is next to impossible to read through all the TP threads to try and find one from...

1) So let's say we have twin A and twin B. 2) Twin A stays on Earth. 3) Twin B goes on a trip nearly at the speed of light. 4) Twin A sees twin's B clock moving slower. 5) Twin B sees twin's A clock moving slower. 6) When twin B returns, twin A is older. #6 Implies that twin B's clock...

So if you were to take the twin paradox, but make it so instead of the ship turning around and going to earth, the ship bends space through higher dimensions to return to Earth with no movement, what happens then? I'm sure this has been thought up of before, but i can't find an explanation that...

Hi. I am learning special Relativity and I am seeing that the answer to the twin paradox involves the Doppler effect, and I am struggling to understand what is going on. First let me explain what I know about the Doppler effect. If an object produces waves (might it be light waves or sound...

Friends, I will be happy if anybody throws light on the following concepts: (1). In the case of time dilation it is said that a clock in a moving frame appears to go slow to an observer in a resting frame.It leads to the famous twin paradox in which 'A' who spends some time in a spaceship...

In four dimensions, a flat torus is an object that has zero curvature but still has closed geodesic curves. What this means is that if you try to measure geometry locally, you will find that it is perfectly Euclidean. Nevertheless, if you travel on a straight line, you'll eventually end up...

I was just working on my knowledge of the twin paradox, and had a question that I couldn't find an answer to anywhere: If I understand it correctly the paradox is resolved because the two frames are not symmetrical, one is non-inertial, so that frame has it's clock run slower. So if you carry...