Does 'time' or 'perception of time' slow down when you approach light speed?

Answer 1

'Time' actually slows down for the person traveling that speed. I know... confusing concept, huh? Einstein's theories back this up, so you may want to look that up. However, the act of time slowing down is called "time dilation," and it's rather fascinating, so maybe you should look to that as well.

Answer 2

As you approach the speed of light, your perception of time will appear normal but to an outside observer your time is slowing down.

Answer 3

The faster an object is moving, the slower time passes for that object.

If you were in a spaceship going 99% the speed of light, after 7.09 seconds had passed on Earth, only 1 second would have passed for you. Since your perception would slow down with time itself, you would not perceive anything unusual. Everything on the ship would appear to be normal.

Answer 4

Einstein said that the passage of time itself is relative--that this is a real physical fact, not just an illusion of measurement.

We already accept that some physical things are relative. For example, when two rocks pass each other in space at a relative speed of 100 mph, which one is "moving" and which one is "standing still"? We accept the fact that there is no absolute answer to that question. All we can say is that, from Rock A's point of view, Rock "B" is moving; while from Rock B's point of view, Rock "A" is moving.

Einstein said it's the same way with time. Suppose two distinct events are observed by a number of different observers. According to Einstein, the question, "How much time elapsed between between Event 1 and Event 2?" has no absolute answer. In one reference frame it might be 20 seconds; in another, it might be 100 seconds. This is NOT just a question of how accurate your stopwatch is; it's a physical result of the nature of time.

Answer 5

The person who thinks that he is at rest, measures your speed, your time and the speed of light.

According to his perception, you are moving with a speed nearer to the speed of light ,(which is measured by you is also the same as the person) and he says that your time is slow compared to his time.

You will not perceive any difference in your clock.However you will say that the other person's time is slow.

Answer 6

Einstein said that time doesn't slow down rather time for others around you would stay constant while your time would be compressed. So the closer you get to light speed the more compressed your matter becomes and there by the time needed to transverse a distance for you becomes shorter while the time for everyone else at those locations continues to stay the same.

It's really all perception of time anyway being that we simply agree on an arbitrary system of time measurement. There are been hundreds of different measurements of time over the years it just so happens that minutes and seconds are the winners right now.

Answer 7

Yes and no. The rate of passage or flow of time in any frame of reference is the same. One second is one second in every frame of reference. But, the passage of time is relative to the observer and which frame they are trying to observe. For different observers in different frames of reference measuring the duration of the same thing, they could arrive at two different measurements and both be completely correct.
If Observer A is moving along in space at a substantial percentage of c and Observer B is "stationary", [and both are in a constant state of motion] then for each of them personally one minute will equal one minute like normal. However, if Observer B was able to observer Observer A's chronometer, it would appear to be ticking more slowly than Observer B's. But, from Observer's A's perspective, if they could see B's, B would have the chronometer that is running slower. From their own respective frame of reference, they are experiencing things "normally" while the other person outside in a different frame is wrong. But, with Relativity, everyone actually gets to be correct ..in a relative way.

Answer 8

your perception of time would be unchanged within your inertial reference frame (things that are moving at the same velocity as you, for instance your spaceship). observers at rest would see it differently though. to them, your rate of passage through time would appear to be slowed down, and vice versa, their rate of passage through time would appear to you to be sped up. you could go on a day trip in your spaceship and come back to earth a week later.

edit - a way to think about it that makes some intuitive sense is that time and space are not separate, they are one thing: spacetime. you travel through spacetime. if you're at rest in space, you travel full speed ahead in time. but if you move fast through space, you don't move quite so fast through time.

Answer 9

Yes, but only to an outside observer.

Answer 10

not if your the one traveling at that speed only to others traveling at a different speed in relation to you