Time Dilation & Acceleration: Leaving Earth Effects

In summary, acceleration on a ship will cause time to go slower onboard. The duration of acceleration depends on the ship's engines, and a clock on board the ship and on Earth will have different measurements. Once the ship stops accelerating, both observers will see the same relative speed between the ship and Earth. For more information on this topic, please refer to the webpage provided by DaleSpam.
  • #1
wondercosmos
7
0
Leaving Earth at constant acceleration will make time on board go slower.
Acceleration will take the ship closer and closer to c
Question is:
How long will acceleration act on the ship?
The time as measured on Earth or on the ship?
The final v will be greatly different. Of course, given enough time, in both cases final v will be the same (or almost).
Regards, Mauro.
 
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  • #2
The acceleration will act on the ship for as long as its engines are firing.
A clock on board the ship and a clock on Earth will disagree about how long that is.

Once the engines are shut off so the ship is coasting instead of accelerating, the ship observers and the Earth observers will find the same value for the relative speed between the ship and the earth.
 
  • #3
Here is a great page describing all of these issues.

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/rocket.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #4
Nugatory, I think I understand your answer. Of course! Thank you.
DaleSpam, great article. It shows complexities I did not know. Thanks.
 

1. What is time dilation and acceleration?

Time dilation is a phenomenon in which time appears to move slower for objects that are moving at high speeds or are in strong gravitational fields. Acceleration, on the other hand, is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time.

2. How does leaving Earth affect time dilation and acceleration?

Leaving Earth can affect time dilation and acceleration in several ways. Firstly, as an object moves away from the Earth's gravitational field, the effects of time dilation become more noticeable. Additionally, the acceleration experienced by objects leaving the Earth's surface is much greater than that experienced on Earth, causing a change in the object's velocity and therefore its rate of time.

3. Is time dilation and acceleration the same thing?

No, time dilation and acceleration are not the same thing. Time dilation refers to the slowing down of time for objects in motion, while acceleration is the change in an object's velocity over time.

4. How does time dilation and acceleration affect space travel?

Time dilation and acceleration play a crucial role in space travel. As objects move at high speeds and experience strong gravitational fields in space, their perception of time changes. This makes it necessary for astronauts to account for these effects when planning their missions and communicating with Earth.

5. Can time dilation and acceleration be observed on Earth?

Yes, time dilation and acceleration can be observed on Earth, especially in situations where objects are moving at high speeds or are in strong gravitational fields. This has been demonstrated through experiments such as the Hafele-Keating experiment, which showed that time moved slower for atomic clocks on board airplanes compared to stationary clocks on the ground.

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