Time Dilation: A & B's Age Difference

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of time dilation as illustrated by a thought experiment involving two individuals, A and B, where B travels at a significant fraction of the speed of light (0.1c) while A remains on Earth. The participants explore the implications of their respective experiences on aging, particularly in the context of special relativity and the twin paradox.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes that B would have aged less than A by about nine days due to B's acceleration during the journey, while A remains in an inertial frame.
  • Another participant questions the assertion that B is younger, arguing that both A and B are in non-inertial frames and seeks clarification on the basis for the age difference.
  • Some participants emphasize that the age difference arises from their different paths through spacetime rather than solely from their inertial or non-inertial status.
  • References to external articles are provided to support claims about time dilation and the twin paradox.
  • There is a discussion about the applicability of standard time dilation formulas in non-inertial frames, with some participants suggesting that naive applications lead to incorrect conclusions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of acceleration and the inertial status of A and B. There is no consensus on the resolution of the age difference, as some argue for the significance of acceleration while others challenge this perspective.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the Earth's surface can be treated as approximately inertial for practical purposes, but the implications of this approximation on the aging difference are debated. The discussion also highlights the complexity of applying special relativity to non-inertial frames.

jha192001
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This is a gendenke experiment.

You(A) and your friend (B) are on earth. Now your friend sits on a spaceship that can fly at speed of 0.1c. He flies for 5 year straight ahead(away from earth) and then returns back slowly.
The answer that i get is B would have aged. Assuming this answer is right i want to put a question.
B goes. away from A and returns. But in reference frame of B, A goes away at 0.1c and returns so according to him A would have aged more. But when they meet who would have aged more? If no one, then how could wr say speed even has a effect called Time Dilation.
Thanks For Your Time.[emoji1]
 
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Both would have aged, but B will be younger than A by about nine days.

B felt acceleration. A did not, remaining inertial for the whole experiment. Thus B cannot use naive time dilation results which are based on the use of inertial frames, since B was not at rest in an inertial frame for the whole experiment.

The one who felt acceleration will be younger. This is not a direct consequence of acceleration, by the way. Edit: see the article linked by Grinkle in the next post for details.
 
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Ibix said:
Both would have aged, but B will be younger than A by about nine days.

B felt acceleration. A did not, remaining inertial for the whole experiment. Thus B cannot use naive time dilation results which are based on the use of inertial frames, since B was not at rest in an inertial frame for the whole experiment.

The one who felt acceleration will be younger. This is not a direct consequence of acceleration, by the way. Edit: see the article linked by Grinkle in the next post for details.
Sir,
B is in noninertial frame but as A is on Earth he himself is in one too..Then on what basis "B is youner" can be said.
P.s: I am reading about lorentz rn
 
jha192001 said:
Sir,
B is in noninertial frame but as A is on Earth he himself is in one too..Then on what basis "B is youner" can be said.
P.s: I am reading about lorentz rn
The Earth's surface rest frame is close enough to inertial that the error from treating it as inertial (Edit: or, more precisely, using the Sun-centred inertial frame and pretending that A is at rest in this frame) is tiny - about one part in 108, if I've done my mental arithmetic right. As to why B is younger, it doesn't really have anything to do with being inertial or not. It's just you can't naively apply standard SR time dilation formulae to non-inertial frames, which you were trying to do. Did you read the article Grinkle linked? It explains the age difference quite well.
 
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jha192001 said:
B is in noninertial frame but as A is on Earth he himself is in one too

If A were not on Earth but inertial, the age difference when he met up with B would be slightly more, as @Ibix noted.

If you are thinking that whether or not a frame is accelerating is frame dependent, this is incorrect. B felt acceleration according to B, and B felt acceleration according to A. They agree on this. A felt a much much smaller acceleration (being on Earth) according to A, and also according to B - they agree on that as well.
 
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jha192001 said:
B is in noninertial frame but as A is on Earth he himself is in one too..Then on what basis "B is youner" can be said.

It has nothing to do with frames. It has to do with their different paths through spacetime. The twin paradox FAQ that @Nugatory linked to goes into all this. Please read it.
 
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