- #1
Norzog
- 4
- 0
Hi,
first of all, I would like to apologize if this question is very very trivial or completely stupid, but it's something that was bugging me for a long time.
Let's have a look at an example where a cosmic ship travels at a speed of light from Earth to Sun. Known fact is that for a photon, judging from a point of view of a human positioned on Earth, it takes about 8 minutes to travel from Sun to Earth. So from this point of view, it would take about 8 minutes for the ship to travel to sun as well. But from the point of view of the pilot of that ship, it should take considerably less time than 8 minutes as the relativity theory claims.. So it wouldn't take years for us to travel to nearest stars other than in our solar system (eg. To Alpha Centauri, it wouldn't take about 5 years to travel to, but from a point of view of the pilot, it would take much much less time...)?
Now, if the latter is true, what bugs me is if the pilot ages slower than we do, every atom on that ship traveling at a light speed is slowed down? Should the atoms be slowed, the pilot shouldn't perceive time differently as we do on earth, though. Right? Does that mean, that even if the atoms of his body are slowed, the brain, slowed too, perceive time normally?
Again, considering the latter is true, doesn't that mean the time is not relative? Only the speed of movement of atoms is relative to the speed of framework they are in, right?
But judging from that this sounds strange, I guess I'd made a mistake or am completely of point, please... help me solve my dilemma.
Thanks in advance
first of all, I would like to apologize if this question is very very trivial or completely stupid, but it's something that was bugging me for a long time.
Let's have a look at an example where a cosmic ship travels at a speed of light from Earth to Sun. Known fact is that for a photon, judging from a point of view of a human positioned on Earth, it takes about 8 minutes to travel from Sun to Earth. So from this point of view, it would take about 8 minutes for the ship to travel to sun as well. But from the point of view of the pilot of that ship, it should take considerably less time than 8 minutes as the relativity theory claims.. So it wouldn't take years for us to travel to nearest stars other than in our solar system (eg. To Alpha Centauri, it wouldn't take about 5 years to travel to, but from a point of view of the pilot, it would take much much less time...)?
Now, if the latter is true, what bugs me is if the pilot ages slower than we do, every atom on that ship traveling at a light speed is slowed down? Should the atoms be slowed, the pilot shouldn't perceive time differently as we do on earth, though. Right? Does that mean, that even if the atoms of his body are slowed, the brain, slowed too, perceive time normally?
Again, considering the latter is true, doesn't that mean the time is not relative? Only the speed of movement of atoms is relative to the speed of framework they are in, right?
But judging from that this sounds strange, I guess I'd made a mistake or am completely of point, please... help me solve my dilemma.
Thanks in advance