08-03-2015, 12:35 PM
I've decided to ask this here because it seems just as good as any science forum. I understand a lot about the theories of relativity but the basic concept of the whole thing still has me confused.
One of the things Einstein first studied was relative motion. If you don't know what that is, stop reading now.
Well one of the concepts of relativity is time dilation. I'll use a ship for examples. As a ship gets closer and closer to the speed of light:
-relative to the ship, time passes normally, but time for the rest of the universe passes more quickly.
-relative to the rest of the universe, time passes normally, but time for the ship slows down.
What bugs the heck out of me though is the concept of relative motion. Einstein said that with only two reference frames, if at least one is motion and there is no acceleration, it is impossible to tell which is in motion and which is at rest; and indeed, if there truly are only two reference frames and no acceleration, then there is no correct answer.
So going back to the ship in the universe. Given relativity, shouldn't the passage of time of the rest of the universe, relative to the ship, appear to move more slowly since, relative to the ship, the ship is standing still and the rest of the universe is approaching the speed of light? Why is it that time for the ship slows down, since it appears, from the ship, that the ship is sitting still and everything else is approaching light speed?
And then if that were the case, why wouldn't it be the way it actually is now... And thus a paradox. This does apply to the other effects of relativity, but I find time dilation the most intriguing.
One of the things Einstein first studied was relative motion. If you don't know what that is, stop reading now.
Well one of the concepts of relativity is time dilation. I'll use a ship for examples. As a ship gets closer and closer to the speed of light:
-relative to the ship, time passes normally, but time for the rest of the universe passes more quickly.
-relative to the rest of the universe, time passes normally, but time for the ship slows down.
What bugs the heck out of me though is the concept of relative motion. Einstein said that with only two reference frames, if at least one is motion and there is no acceleration, it is impossible to tell which is in motion and which is at rest; and indeed, if there truly are only two reference frames and no acceleration, then there is no correct answer.
So going back to the ship in the universe. Given relativity, shouldn't the passage of time of the rest of the universe, relative to the ship, appear to move more slowly since, relative to the ship, the ship is standing still and the rest of the universe is approaching the speed of light? Why is it that time for the ship slows down, since it appears, from the ship, that the ship is sitting still and everything else is approaching light speed?
And then if that were the case, why wouldn't it be the way it actually is now... And thus a paradox. This does apply to the other effects of relativity, but I find time dilation the most intriguing.