B Time Travel: How Does a Fast Electron Experience Sunrise?

Click For Summary
An electron moving at half the speed of light experiences significant time dilation, aging only one year for every ten years that pass on Earth. If it could trigger a counter for sunrises, it would register ten years of sunrises despite only one year passing for the electron, illustrating the disconnect between time dilation and external events. The Earth and sun act as a stationary clock relative to the electron, which does not experience time in the same way. The discussion also touches on hypothetical scenarios involving other particles, like muons, to explore time dilation effects further. Ultimately, the experience of time for fast-moving particles differs fundamentally from that of stationary observers.
  • #31
Dale said:
In science the link to reality is through experiment. Both the non-inertial reference frame of the muons and the lab can be used to predict the outcome of any experiment. Both frames will agree on all of their predictions. Therefore there is only one reality. In that one reality both the muon frame and the lab frame predict that muons will detect a sunrise every 49 minutes according to their clocks (##\gamma = 29.3##) and the scientists will detect the same sunrise every 24 hours according to their clocks.

Since both frames agree on all experimental outcomes there is one reality, it is just a far more interesting reality than our low-speed experience leads us to believe.
That is DEFINITELY an interesting way to look at it. To me, (and I KNOW you'll disagree), it's a little like saying they both agree that there is one reality. And in that one reality, they each exist in a separate reality.!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
jefals said:
That is DEFINITELY an interesting way to look at it. To me, (and I KNOW you'll disagree), it's a little like saying they both agree that there is one reality. And in that one reality, they each exist in a separate reality.!
Yes, any physicist with her salt will disagree with that. We don't like working with contradictory statements. If you are going to use the word reality you will need to define it.
 
  • Like
Likes Dale
  • #33
jefals said:
And in that one reality, they each exist in a separate reality.!
Are you here to learn a bit about physics or not? If you are here to learn then please stop saying silly things like this. We do not want nonsensical comments like this to be what people see when they search up our site.
 
  • Like
Likes BvU and weirdoguy
  • #34
Dr_Nate said:
Yes, any physicist with her salt will disagree with that. We don't like working with contradictory statements. If you are going to use the word reality you will need to define it.
Well, you might agree that there could be multiple univerces, tho, right? And possibly I could travel back in time and prevent my parents from meeting in a separate universe?
If you accept this possibility, could that define two separate realities?
If so, then we have acknowledged the possibility of multiple realities.
Or if move into "quantumland" - where something can be "here" and "there" at the same time (assuming "at the same time" has real meaning) - wouldn’t that be two separate realities?
 
  • Skeptical
Likes weirdoguy
  • #35
Dale said:
Are you here to learn a bit about physics or not? If you are here to learn then please stop saying silly things like this. We do not want nonsensical comments like this to be what people see when they search up our site.
Ok, I'll stop. You guys are way ahead of me. I understand how it's seen as nonsensical to you. It isn't to me. I've enjoyed the discussion, and appreciate all your comments. Up till this one.
 
  • #36
jefals said:
As far back as you want to go, the passage of time as been associated with the earthly cycles. We needed to find a way to tell when to plant. When to reap. And we always had an idea about when the sun was going to rise the next day. If all of a sudden, sunrises started happening 10 times faster than normal, our ancestors would have freaked out big time.
So, given that background, and the hundreds of times I've heard the claim "time passes normally inside the spaceship" - those two taken together spurred me to ponder this scenario. It turns out not EVERYTHING about the passage of time is normal inside the spaceship. 10 sunrises per day is not normal.
By this same logic, I’m creating a new reality every time I get on the interstate, because when in history has it been normal to see trees moving at 80 mph?
 
  • #37
jefals said:
The statement that the traveler experiences the passage of time normally, would fail if you include watching the sunrise in your definition of what it means to experience the passage of time normally.

Astronauts aboard the ISS see a sunrise every 1.5 hours, yet they experience the passage of time normally in the same way as those of us down here on Earth's surface.
 
  • Like
Likes Ibix and Dale
  • #38
Pencilvester said:
By this same logic, I’m creating a new reality every time I get on the interstate, because when in history has it been normal to see trees moving at 80 mph?
I would say that every time a caveman tried to outrun a bear, he noticed two things:
The trees were moving towards him faster. And so was the bear.
In any event, no matter how fast his non-relativistic motion within a time-zone, the sun would rise as it always had.
Hey you guys answered my question a long time ago. Now, as was pointed out, this talk about "alternate realities" doesn't belong here, and I apologize for bringing it up. A lot of the popular scientists I see (Michao
Pencilvester said:
By this same logic, I’m creating a new reality every time I get on the interstate, because when in history has it been normal to see trees moving at 80 mph?
I would say ever since the first caveman tried to outrun a bear, he noticed two things: The trees were moving towards him faster. And so was the bear. No matter how fast he ran - or modern earthman moves - the sun always comes up as expected.
As was pointed out, this talk about alternate realities likely doesn't belong in this forum, and sorry I brought it up. A lot of the popular scientists I follow - like Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, Brian Cox - Paul Davies - would entertain these discussions, I guess because they know their audiences include folks like me.
But I now recognize it was a mistake to bring it up here. Perfectly fine dropping this, but much thanks for all insight you guys have provided!
 
  • Like
Likes Dale
  • #39
jefals said:
A lot of the popular scientists I follow - like Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, Brian Cox - Paul Davies - would entertain these discussions
All of them understand special relativity well enough to realize that it has nothing whatsoever to do with parallel universes.
 
  • Like
Likes BvU
  • #40
jbriggs444 said:
All of them understand special relativity well enough to realize that it has nothing whatsoever to do with parallel universes.
In the words of Al Pacino..."I keep tryin to get out. They keep pulling me back in"! :)
I think I mentioned multiverses many posts back when in regards to whether we could consider there are multiple realities. I was attempting to make a point that we could consider each universe a separate reality.
Again -- I'm very happy to wrap this up!
 
  • #41
jefals said:
In the words of Al Pacino..."I keep tryin to get out. They keep pulling me back in"! :)
I think I mentioned multiverses many posts back when in regards to whether we could consider there are multiple realities. I was attempting to make a point that we could consider each universe a separate reality.
Again, even if such universes are real, they have nothing to do with the alternate realities that you incorrectly imagine special relativity to include.
 
  • #42
jbriggs444 said:
Again, even if such universes are real, they have nothing to do with the alternate realities that you incorrectly imagine special relativity to include.
I don't imagine special relativity to include any alternate realities at all. Unless I define reality in a way that allows them. One of you folks (I think Norgatory) set me clear on that many posts ago.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
11K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
3K
Replies
29
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
18
Views
1K
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
3K
  • · Replies 55 ·
2
Replies
55
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K