Comparing Ages: Spaceship Rider vs Earthbound

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the age comparison between a person traveling in a spaceship and one remaining on Earth, often referred to as the "twin paradox" in the context of Special Relativity. Participants explore the implications of time dilation and the outcomes of related experiments, while also sharing personal insights and research findings.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the age of the spaceship rider may vary, being either older or younger than the person on Earth.
  • Others argue that the person on Earth is identified as older based on certain studies, but they note that research on the topic is not yet complete.
  • A participant mentions that NASA's research on the twin astronaut is ongoing and not yet finalized.
  • There is a claim that the twin paradox is not a true paradox, as it is a logical consequence of Special Relativity, and that the age difference can be understood without inconsistency.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the effectiveness of learning through internet videos, suggesting that they can be misleading without a foundational understanding of the subject.
  • Experimental evidence is cited, indicating that stationary particles age more than those in motion, aligning with predictions from relativity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of the twin paradox and the outcomes of related experiments. There is no consensus on the interpretation of the results or the status of ongoing research.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of understanding the twin paradox and the necessity of foundational knowledge in Special Relativity. There are references to ongoing research and the limitations of popular media in conveying accurate scientific information.

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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