So, what is time
dilation? You could say that stationary equates to slow and moving equates to
fast. If we take a look at Albert Einstein the creator of the relativity theory
(who by the way in 1907 proposed time dilation), made time travel a theoretical possibility – but only to go to the future never to the past. The idea
is that action in space can change and modify time. In space if we were to, I
don’t know, reach light speed then we could speed up the passage of time.
Don’t believe me? Well, I have proof! All right, imagine two super clocks (called atomic clocks) flying on two planes going in antiparallel directions; these clocks will show time difference, that directly correspond to their direction of travel. You still think I’m making this up – like how do airplanes prove anything? Do not fret; there are more complex sciency ways to prove time dilation. Like looking at pions and muons (two particles). Both of these babies have proven decaying rates however as they shine down on the earth in cosmic rays they move very, very fast. As they are moving so fast their decaying rates do not appear correct but to a somebody who knows about special relativity this is just another simple calculation. I know some of you will be thanking Einstein after you find out that satellites like the ones providing you with GPS on your long trips can only exist because calculations that incorporate time dilation allow them to do so. We can give credit to special relativity for the little ability to go on road trips without having to bring a map of the world along.
Now are you interested
in skipping a couple years? Time dilation is the solution for you. Get in a
space ship go for a little flyby to one of the trillion stars and bippity
boppity boo you come back a few weeks later to realize that a couple years have
passed down here on Earth! The biggest
downside is the speed requirement; you need to be going faster then any of us
will ever-likely travel in our lifetime. The reason these speeds are so out of
reach is acceleration's relationship to mass – as something accelerates it's mass
increases to the point that the fuel needed to continue to accelerate is so
large that it is just unfeasible with the resources we have today.
Another thing that this little journey into space is good at explaining is the Twin Paradox. So, to make matters easier pretend you have a doppelgänger (or identical twin). You decide to go into space and he or she is left behind. When you come back you may have aged about a month while they could look like an old folk. Weird right?
Another thing that this little journey into space is good at explaining is the Twin Paradox. So, to make matters easier pretend you have a doppelgänger (or identical twin). You decide to go into space and he or she is left behind. When you come back you may have aged about a month while they could look like an old folk. Weird right?
I know what you are thinking, how could we make time stop? That is a question the universe is not willing to allow us to answer. Think of it as if you are driving your car but there is a max speed that the thing can go and it just cannot pass this speed. According to special relativity we can only travel just under the speed of light, it is the universes speed limit that cannot be overpassed (except of course light is able to reach the speed of light). Theoretically however, at the speed of light time would seem to stop!
So, now I think I owe you an explanation about light and it's ability to get away with going the speed of light without getting a ticket! This is because of the photon which really doesn't have mass meaning unlike you and me it does not need the unlimited supply of energy to reach such high speeds. It is important to understand that just because light can travel at such high speeds does not mean that it always does. It will only travel at the speed of light in a vacuum. Maybe the most incredible thing to learn from this is that the light in the sky can really travel from place to place instantly since time has no impact, until it is no longer able to travel at the speed of light it is able to travel whenever and wherever it pleases without time being of any consideration.
Lets go back to
the observer, if we put sent two people as lookout telling them to measure
the time elapsed between an event, we would expect it to be the same. But if by
chance the observers are at different distance from a gravitating mass the
observer who is farthest from the place that the gravitational pull is emitted
will experience a faster passage of time! So, yeah, physics is like a science
fictional science, where we can literally time travel.
Websites Consulted:
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view6/2739769/bibbidi-bobbidi-boo-o.gif
http://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/images/relativity_time_dilation.jpg
http://www.emc2-explained.info/Time-Dilation/#.Vj5FYq6rREI
http://www.emc2-explained.info/Time-Dilation/#.Vj5FYq6rREI
