Comparing Ages: Spaceship Rider vs Earthbound

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the Twin Paradox, a concept in Special Relativity that explores the age difference between twins when one travels at high speeds in a spaceship while the other remains on Earth. The consensus is that the twin on Earth, specifically Mark Kelly, is older upon reunion, as supported by experiments with radioactive particles. The Twin Paradox, initially described by Einstein in 1905, is not a true paradox but rather a logical outcome of relativity, challenging common intuitions about time. Effective learning requires more than just watching videos; foundational knowledge of Special Relativity is essential.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Special Relativity principles
  • Familiarity with the Twin Paradox concept
  • Knowledge of Einstein's theories from 1905
  • Basic comprehension of experimental physics involving time dilation
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Einstein's 1905 paper on Special Relativity
  • Research time dilation effects in high-speed travel
  • Explore experimental results involving radioactive particles and aging
  • Review educational resources on the Twin Paradox, such as the provided link
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators teaching relativity, and anyone interested in the implications of time travel and aging in the context of Special Relativity.

Zephaniah
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Who is older? The one who rides at the spaceship or the one who is left on earth?
 
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Zephaniah said:
Who is older? The one who rides at the spaceship or the one who is left on earth?
What do you think? What has your research into the "paradox" turned up so far?
 
phinds said:
What do you think? What has your research into the "paradox" turned up so far?
It may vary. The one who rides at the spaceship may be older or younger than the person left on earth.
 
Zephaniah said:
It may vary. The one who rides at the spaceship may be older or younger than the person left on earth.
No, that's not correct. You need to do some reading on the basics of Special Relativity. Just asking questions on a forum really isn't going to teach you much.
 
phinds said:
No, that's not correct. You need to do some reading on the basics of Special Relativity. Just asking questions on a forum really isn't going to teach you much.
I've read a lot already. I've seen some video from NASA about the twin astronaut. And I think their study about this one is not yet done.
 
Zephaniah said:
I've seen some video from NASA about the twin astronaut
Which twin did the NASA video identify as being older at the reunion?
 
Dale said:
Which twin did the NASA video identify as being older at the reunion?
The person on earth. But based on what I have read their research is not yet finish.
 
Mark Kelly to be exact.
 
Zephaniah said:
The person on earth.
There you go.

Zephaniah said:
But based on what I have read their research is not yet finish
This is not an active area of research for NASA. However, other researchers have done this experiment. Not with humans but with radioactive particles.

The ones that stay in place age more than the ones spinning around the accelerator ring. Just as predicted by relativity.
 
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Zephaniah said:
I've read a lot already. I've seen some video from NASA about the twin astronaut. And I think their study about this one is not yet done.
Watching internet videos is a remarkably ineffective way of learning this stuff. Some videos are OK, most are awful, there's no way of knowing which is which if you don't already understand the subject.

The Twin Paradox isn't really a paradox at all; it was described by Einstein in his very first paper on relativity (1905) as a surprising but logical consequence of the theory. It's often presented as a "paradox" as a pedagogical tool, a way of getting people to challenge their natural but wrong intuitions about time, but in fact there is no logical inconsistency and no question about which twin ages more.

A good layman-friendly introduction can be found here: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/TwinParadox/twin_paradox.html
 
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