Is it true that if you went to the middle of space somewhere and came back to earth you would have aged less
2007-12-04 15:32:14 · 8 answers · asked by Outtamyway 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
less than the person on earth that is the same age as you
2007-12-04 15:32:43 · update #1
Umm....sort of!?!?! It is true that if you changed your velocity relative to the earth in such a magnitude that over a period of "your" time, earth will have experienced a different amount of time than you have. This can work both ways. Earth can experience more "space time" than you, or the other way around. Thank god for theory of relativity, help you live a better life.
2007-12-04 15:36:24 · answer #1 · answered by billyjoebob1992 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In response to Tiara J:
"You are 20 years old
You board a spacecraft that can fly at the speed of light.
You travel to Rigel (775 light years away) and back.
When you return you would have aged about 25 years, but the earth would have aged over 1800 years."
Im afraid this is not true, Right kind of idea though. It is impossible to travel at the speed of light (would require an infinite energy). Using the formulae of relativity however if we did use light speed as the speed of the space ship then time would stop, therefore when you got back you would not have aged at all, however this would include many other problems making the analogy pointless.
Your statement might well be true if the spaceship was travelling very close to the speed of light.
2007-12-05 08:56:57 · answer #2 · answered by adam_s 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes but it depends on the speed you travel. Here's an example:
You are 20 years old
You board a spacecraft that can fly at the speed of light.
You travel to Rigel (775 light years away) and back.
When you return you would have aged about 25 years, but the earth would have aged over 1800 years.
If you go here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/
And click the link that says "Time Traveler", there is a shockwave experiment you can play around with along with some other useful information. It's very interesting.
(Note: The page requires the use of Active X control)
2007-12-05 00:14:04 · answer #3 · answered by Tiara J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The time dialation effect is dependent on speed of travel, not leaving Earth .It's just that space would be the only place that the speeds needed ,to create a significant difference , could be achieved. Same thing happens on a jet , to a lesser degree. (That's how the theory was tested - clock on a plane vs a clock on the ground )
So ......, to answer your question , yes , it appears that it is true .
2007-12-05 00:36:37 · answer #4 · answered by mikeinportc 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You yourself would *not* have biologically aged any different -- the length of a year would be precisely the same as it has always been. However, if you were traveling at a significant percentage of the speed of light and you returned you would be younger *relative* to those people left behind. Einstein's relativity goes to work under these conditions.
2007-12-04 23:45:07 · answer #5 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You would have aged at a different rate than those you left behind if and only if you underwent significantly different acceleration than those people. If you never got higher than a couple of percent of the speed of light, the aging difference would be negligible. You'd age more on a hard night on the town. But if you got really fast, your frame of reference would be different enough to observe an aging difference
2007-12-04 23:56:11 · answer #6 · answered by The_Doc_Man 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It would depend on the speed at which you travel. As velocity builds, time dilates, slows down relative to an object at lower velocities.
2007-12-04 23:45:46 · answer #7 · answered by Monkeyboi 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is correct.
2007-12-04 23:38:38 · answer #8 · answered by wheeliebin 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋