The faster you go the slower you age?

Question

In a physics class i remember my teacher trying to explain the idea of the atomic clock actually slows down and is behind the atomic clock left on Earth after it's been flying around in space for a while... and obviously to many black faces
But i also remember me asking is that do to with the clock or actualy time (a constant) slowing down?

If identical twins were seperated at birth, one being sent to space for 20 years, and the other living on Earth, when the twin returned, would it actually be physically and mentally younger?

And then if this is true: If time slows down when they were in space, it would constantly be ticking along slower, so wehn they come back to Earth, how does the time in space speed up and catch up the time on Earth?

Sorry if this is too long, im just curious
Thanks

Answer 1

When there is relative motion between two, say A and B,
A says B is moving and B says A is moving.

A will say in the moving frame of B, the length is decreased; time goes slow and mass increases.

B will say in the moving frame of A, the length is decreased; time goes slow and mass increases.

It is because they are in uniform motion relative to each other.

Now there is a doubt whether the B’s clock’s hand moves slowly in the frame of B or is it an appearance.

B will not feel any difference in the working of the clock.

It is A who says that the B’s clock’s hand goes slow compared to his clock and for him B is moving.

Similarly B will say that the A’s clock’s hand goes slow compared to his clock and for him A is moving.

Being relative in nature, which clock goes slow, can be tested only by making one of the clocks to return to its starting place.

When one is returned back, during the return path also both are in relative motion and direction is not a matter for the clocks to go slow.

Both A and B will say that the other man’s clock goes slow.

Now suppose A finds that B has returned his path.

B in order to change his direction of motion he has executed some circular trip or an accelerated motion.
During this time he is not having uniform relative motion and there is no slowing of time during this motion in the point of view of A.

A says that the clock of B slows down during the forward motion and also during the return trip.
When he reaches him he finds B’s clock has slowed down to the extent of time he has traveled.

Thus there is real slowing of time for objects moving with respect to one who is at rest.

In the above narrations, if A has returned his path to compare the clock, then B will say that A’s clock has slowed down.

Time is RELATIVE and it is not absolute to compare one’s time with that of other one’s time.

Where as, the speed of light is absolute for all .

Answer 2

First and foremost - time is not "a constant."
It has nothing to do with any malfunction of the clock - the clock is working just fine and measuring the passage of time relative to the observer's reference.
All processes slow - from the molecular level to the biological levels - if you are traveling through space at a significant percentage of the speed of light, time literally is running slower than an observer on the earth's surface.
And when you return, you will have aged less than the earth bound observer - in every respect.

Answer 3

No, being faster doesn't mean that you will age slower. It is being slow that will make you age slower, of course that has something to do with the environment also. Let me give you an exampple, If twins are separated, one(A) will stay here on earth, and the other(B) will be placed in pluto, tendency is when B comes back he will be let's say 30 years younger than A.That's because pluto is farther from than sun compared to earth which is nearer. And because, as we all know, pluto needs a lot of time to complete a revolution around the sun compared to earth, tendency is that B's body clock will adjust itself making it slower to jive with pluto's time.Therefore, it will somehow slow the aging of B.

Answer 4

Time slows down as you approach the speed of light, relative to someone at rest. You would still notice time going by normally for you, your watch would work normally as would your atomic clock. But if you compared it with one at rest, you would note that more time has gone by for the clock at rest. You can't regain this time difference, as far as we currently know. And it is actually time itself that slows, not the clock.

Answer 5

Simple time is part of the universe - 4 dimensional spacetime - when you're stationary all your movement is in time - the faster you move the less you're travelling in time. Travelling at the speed of light ALL your momentum is in space - time for you stops.

Photons, if they could experience anything at all would experience their lifetime, even travelling for billions of years through space in a single instant.

Answer 6

You age at the same rate, it is time that slows down

Answer 7

never got this myself but when you moving time slows down for you.

Answer 8

The lesser you talk the more you make people happy!