Paradox: Who Will Be the Oldest After Travelling Near Light Speed?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of time dilation in the context of two ships traveling at different speeds. The speaker explains that due to the effects of traveling near the speed of light, time will appear to pass slower for those on the ships. The question of who will be the oldest upon returning to Earth is posed, with the answer being that the observer who stays on Earth will be oldest due to the path of longest proper time.
  • #1
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Here comes the model situation. I have a man on a planet and two ships. One ship will go straight to from a planet and another one will go opposite direction. Well that's for me very interesting.

Because i will travel with ship near to speed of light from Earth the Earth time will be for me slowed down. But I also traveling on a ship from another ship with doubled speed but that's impossible - nobody can cross a speed of light - so time on other ship must be also very slowed down.

And question. When everybody will came back at Earth who will be oldest?
 
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  • #2
Under the (usual) assumption that, for such problems, we neglect the small effects due to Earth's orbital and rotational motion, and the effects of both Earth's and the sun's gravity, the answer is that the observer who stayed on Earth the whole time will be oldest. The simplest way to put this is that (in special relativity) the path of longest proper time between two time-like separated events is the path that involves no acceleration.
 

Related to Paradox: Who Will Be the Oldest After Travelling Near Light Speed?

1. What is the concept of time dilation in relation to travelling near light speed?

Time dilation is a phenomenon in which time appears to pass slower for an object moving at high speeds. This is a consequence of Einstein's theory of relativity, which states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion. As an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down for that object relative to a stationary observer.

2. Who will be the oldest after travelling near light speed?

The concept of time dilation means that the person travelling near light speed will actually age slower than someone who remains stationary. Therefore, the person travelling near light speed will ultimately be the youngest when they return to the stationary observer. This is known as the twin paradox.

3. Is it possible to travel at the speed of light?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, it is impossible for an object with mass to reach the speed of light. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass and energy increase infinitely, making it impossible to accelerate further. However, objects with no mass, such as photons, can travel at the speed of light.

4. How would travelling near light speed affect the perception of time?

Travelling near light speed would result in time appearing to pass slower for the traveller compared to a stationary observer. This means that the traveller would experience time at a slower rate, resulting in them ageing less than the stationary observer. This effect becomes more significant the closer the object gets to the speed of light.

5. Would someone travelling near light speed experience any physical changes?

As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass and energy increase infinitely. This would result in the object experiencing a tremendous amount of force and pressure, which could potentially be fatal for a human being. Additionally, the effects of time dilation may also cause physical changes in the body, such as slowed metabolism and changes in biological processes.

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