How do I calculate time dilation due to acceleration in SR please?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating time dilation due to acceleration in special relativity (SR) when traveling between two space stations 10 light years apart. The user travels at a constant velocity of 0.5c, experiencing 17.3 years of aging while 20 years pass on the stations. When accelerating at 1g for half the distance, the user calculates a trip time of 4.85 years and a space station time of 11.78 years, but seeks clarification on the calculations. The user also mentions an alternative calculation yielding 4.4 years in the station's frame of reference using the formula t=sqrt(d/a).

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2 space stations are separated by a distance of 10 light years and are at rest wrt each other. I set off from A to B at a constant velocity of 0.5c.

As I understand it, 20 years would pass for people on the space station but when I arrived at the second station I would have only aged about 17.3 years and only traveled about 8.6 light years due to length contraction.

So imagine a similar situation, but this time I constantly accelerate at 1g for half the distance and then decelerate at 1g or the other half of the distance.

I found an online calculator that gave me the answer as below but it did not show me the math.
My trip time = 4.85 years
Space Station time = 11.78 years

Can anyone show me how this was calculated and how to work out what distance I have traveled please. (I am not very good at the understanding notation so would appreciate it if you could add a comment or two please!)

EDIT: When I work out the time just using t=sqrt(d/a) I get 4.4 years in the space station FoR. (I.e. 2.2 years to travel 5 light years at constant acceleration of 1g + same again for deceleration.)
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/rocket.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jtbell said:
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/rocket.html

Excellent! Thanks. :smile:
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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