The forum discussion centers on the twin paradox, specifically addressing the contradictions arising from different inertial frames of reference. Jim travels to Alkaid at 0.98c, experiencing 20 years while observers on Earth, Beth and Oscar, perceive the journey as taking 101 years. The discussion highlights that simultaneity is not absolute; Beth and Oscar disagree on Jim's arrival time due to their differing frames. Ultimately, the conversation clarifies that events perceived as simultaneous in one frame may not be in another, emphasizing the complexities of relativistic time perception.
PREREQUISITESStudents of physics, educators teaching relativity, and anyone interested in the philosophical implications of time and simultaneity in the context of special relativity.
Ah - yes, that's a better way of describing it.Orodruin said:I would say this is the case also in classical mechanics, some events cannot be time ordered - namely events which are simultaneous.