Do we age slower when going at higher speeds in known space?

Answer 1

Relative to who?

We age at the same speed, relative to ourselves, or whoever is moving at a higher speed.

Relative to someone else that is not moving as fast as we are, we would age slower.



So to apply this, if you were moving at 99% the speed of light, and traveled for 1 year...

When you stopped, it would be 1 year later for you, but on earth, 5.3 years would have passed.


At slow speeds, there is almost no effect. For example, astronauts in the space shuttle experience almost no change in time. There is a change, but in a year, only about 1.000000000001 years would pass on earth...which means about 5-10 more seconds on earth passed than in the space shuttle.

Answer 2

Yes, the faster you go, the slower you age. This can be demonstrated mathematically, but it is easiest to grasp with a two dimensional analogy. Imagine a typical 2D graph (i.e. a graph drawn on a flat sheet of paper) with a vertical Y axis and a horizontal X axis. Now imagine a point moving at a fixed speed of 100 mph along the X axis. If it's motion is all horizontal, along the X axis, it's speed along the X axis is 100mph, and it's speed up or down the Y axis is zero. Now, if we divert it's path upward from the X axis, say at a 45 degree angle, while maintaining its 100 mph speed, it's progress along the X axis will be slower than 100 mph, since some of it's motion has been diverted to the Y direction.

Now, imagine the same graph, but let the X axis represent any motion in space and the Y axis represent motion in time. If you are sitting perfectly still, i.e. no motion along the X axis, then all of your motion is along the Y axis, i.e. you are moving forward in time at a fixed speed (which, in a mathematical sense, we can think of as the speed of light). Now, if you start moving in space, you divert some of your motion along the X axis, and so your progress along the Y axis is a little less. In fact, if you increase your speed along the X axis to the speed of light, your speed along the Y axis, that is, your motion through time, will be zero. At the speed of light, time stands still. Actually, any motion at all through space slows time, although you must approach the speed of light for the change to be large.

Answer 3

Good question!

But I don't think so.

A few years ago back in the 60's or 70's PAN AM (an old air line to you young'ns) tested Einstein's theory of relativity by taking two hyper-accurate synchronized clocks and flying one around the world nonstop and discovered that the clocks were off.

So yes the fast you travel the slower time goes.

But time is only a unit of measure and the biological processes that cause aging would be independent of that unit.

Think of it like this, your body is on a natural cycle of biological decay. The cells die at a certain rate and regenerate at a certain rate. This magic rate is not tied to time but rather measured in it.

Answer 4

I would say that we do not age at high speeds. All the speeds achieved in known space have not broken the time barrier, therefore any speed slower than that which could break the thread of time is not fast enough to affect time itself.
Thus our cells will age at the same rate as they would if we were not moving at all.

Answer 5

No, we age at the same rate. However, time slows down so that when we return home, we will have experienced less time. Aging continues at the same time-based rate, but time slows down.

It may seem like sophistry, but there is a difference.

Answer 6

no