twin paradox (1 Viewer)

[sarah_]

hey, uh there is no syllabus dot point regarding the twin paradox? or does it fit under the dot point regarding 'thought experiments'? i'm not sure whether i need to learn it or not? anybody know?
thanks

 

[acmilan]

I dont think it was one of Einstein's thought experiments and i dont remember seeing it in the syllabus

 

[xiao1985]

it has something to do with time dialation.... so where ever you can talk abt time dialation, u can talk abt twin paradox...

 

[Constip8edSkunk]

im not sure which dot point it is related to, the huge relativity dot pt as xiao said or the future space travel 1, or even the thought experiment 1... just learn it cuz it is definitely testable and has been examined in many papers already

 

[BlackJack]

Yes you should learn it. Included in the thought experiments.

 

[acmilan]

Where does the actual paradox come from?

From my recollection and interpretation i think it was because the earth twin can say the other is travelling away at a speed close to c, while the spacecraft twin can say the earth one is moving away at speed close to c.

 

[Slidey]

Twin paradox wasn't that cool. I thought to myself "hey, its a paradox - gotta be cool." But it wasn't.

 

[Xayma]

Yeah especially since one is required to go through two non-inertial frames of refrences for it to work.

 

[BlackJack]

Of course. None of these are actually paradoxes, if you consider them carefully. The earth twin is in one frame, but the spaceship twin must change frames to return to earth since he/she started travelling away at ~< c and finished travelling towards the other at ~<c. The effect is fully described in general relativity.

 

[Tommy_Lamp]

You use this as theoretical proof of time dilation

 

[Xayma]

It isnt theoretical proof of time dilation, the mirror on a train travelling at the speed of light is the theoretical proof. Or the experimental proof is the atomic clocks that circled the earth in a plane/stayed on the ground.