How Does the Twin Paradox Affect Aging in Space Travel?

In summary, the conversation discusses the Twin Paradox and the concept of time dilation as it applies to an astronaut traveling in space and their twin on Earth. The twin in space will experience time passing slower due to their motion, resulting in them being younger when they return to Earth. The conversation also touches on the effects of gravitational force on time dilation. For a better understanding of this paradox, further reading is recommended.
  • #1
Hepic
118
0
Everyone knows that paradox. In true we can say who person is standing,so If we say that the person in Earth is standing,then the clock of astronaut will run slower. Else,if we say that astronaut is standing and that Earth is moving,we see the clock of Earth's person to run slower.
So in true when astronaut come back to earth,he will not bigger from other but they will have the same age. Then what other strange happened??
I heard about a gravitational force,when speed of astronaut change. Can you explain more?
 
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  • #3
UltrafastPED said:
For a detailed analysis see http://www.phys.vt.edu/~jhs/faq/twins.html

And, dueling with Ultrafast's link for second place in the google page rank, we have... http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/TwinParadox/twin_paradox.html

They're both good, and I will repeat for Hepic advice that I gave another poster recently: Work through both those FAQ's from the beginning until you understand them. If you get stuck, come back with a specific question and we'll see if we can get you unstuck.
 

1. What is the Twins Paradox?

The Twins Paradox is a thought experiment in physics that explores the concept of time dilation in special relativity. It involves two identical twins, one of whom stays on Earth while the other travels through space at high speeds. When the traveling twin returns, they will have aged less than the twin who stayed on Earth, creating a paradox.

2. How does the Twins Paradox relate to astronauts?

The Twins Paradox is often used to explain the effects of time dilation on astronauts who travel at high speeds in space. Due to their fast speeds and exposure to gravitational forces, astronauts experience time differently than people on Earth, causing them to age slower.

3. Is the Twins Paradox a real phenomenon or just a thought experiment?

The Twins Paradox is a real phenomenon that has been observed and verified through experiments with atomic clocks on space shuttles and the International Space Station. It is a consequence of the theory of special relativity, which has been extensively tested and proven.

4. Can the Twins Paradox be explained in simple terms?

In simple terms, the Twins Paradox can be understood as the difference in the passage of time for two objects in motion relative to each other. The faster an object moves, the slower time passes for that object compared to a stationary object. This is known as time dilation.

5. Are there any real-life examples of the Twins Paradox?

Apart from astronauts, the Twins Paradox can also be observed in experiments with muons, subatomic particles that travel at near-light speeds and have a short half-life. Due to time dilation, muons are able to reach the Earth's surface before decaying, even though their half-life suggests that they should not be able to travel that far in the given time frame.

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