The Twin Paradox: Exploring Age Difference & Time Travel

[Compaq]

The idea is as follows:

My (imaginary) twin and I were born at the same time, thus just as old. Now, my twin made his own spaceship in the backyard, one day, and decided to go for a ride. It had only room for one person, so I had to stay behind.
Now, my twin went out of the Solar System and came back after 6 months.

Because gravity affects our age, my twin would be "younger" than I was, although we had lived for just as long (actually, we wouldn't). I think has something to do with the General Theory of Relativity.


My question is: Would staying at high speed (up to speed of light) have the same effect, as time would go slower? And, in what way would he get younger? As in live longer? He would look like he'd been aging, right?

I'm sorry, this is a little hypothetical, but I'm fascinated by time.

 

[Dale]

See http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/TwinParadox/twin_paradox.html

Also, there are lots of threads on the twin paradox here. Try googling "twin site:www.physicsforums.com"

 

[Entropia]

The concept of the twin paradox is a fascinating one and has been a topic of discussion and debate for many years. It is a thought experiment that explores the effects of time dilation, a key concept in Einstein's theory of relativity.

To answer your question, yes, staying at high speeds, approaching the speed of light, would have a similar effect on time. This is due to the phenomenon of time dilation, which states that time moves slower for objects moving at high speeds compared to those at rest.

In the case of your twin, who traveled at high speeds in their spaceship, they would experience time passing slower compared to you, who stayed on Earth. This means that when your twin returns after 6 months, they would have aged less than you have, despite both of you being born at the same time.

As for the question of how your twin would get younger, it is important to note that time dilation is not a physical process, but rather a difference in perception of time. Your twin would not physically get younger, but from your perspective, they would appear to have aged less due to the difference in the passage of time.

It is also worth mentioning that the effects of time dilation become more pronounced as the speed approaches the speed of light. At such high speeds, even a short period of time for the traveling twin could result in a significant difference in age compared to the twin who stayed on Earth.

Overall, the twin paradox is a fascinating concept that highlights the complex and mind-bending nature of time and its relationship with space and gravity. It is a reminder that our understanding of time is not as straightforward as we may think and that there is still much to be explored and understood about this fundamental aspect of our universe.