Thursday 30 April 2020

Time Dilation

Time Dilation has nothing to do with when you are at home for long periods with nothing to do.

It is a very complicated theory invented, or discovered, or worked out by Einstein. It is so complicated that few people understand it.

But you WILL.

Yes. I will explain it very simply and you'll be astounded by your new found knowledge. So astounded that you will probably sit down and be very pleased with yourself for a moment or two.

In fact you'll influence people and win friends when you explain it to them at parties and show off how clever you are.

First the technical bit.

Time Dilation is explained as: Time dilation is a difference in the elapsed time measured by two clocks, either due to them having a velocity relative to each other, or by there being a gravitational potential difference between their locations.

But forget all that for now. My lesson will make it simpler. 

Let us first consider how we see things. 

A clock for instance. Imagine a clock on a clock tower in a building like a church or town hall in town.

The light travels from the sun, (or from a lamp), at the speed of light, (let's ignore what the speed of light is for now).

Then the light hits the object, (the clock), and bounces back into your eyes and you see the clock. 

It's as simple as that. Light hits object. Bounces back into your eyes. You see the object. 

Which explains why you can't see the object in the dark and you hit your toe against something and you utter some expletive that we cannot mention here. Feel free to mention them in the comments box below.

OK, now that we've grasped the principle, let us imagine your are in the back seat of a car. You look from the window behind you and you see a clock in a clock tower behind the car. 

Concentrate now. Imagine that you are in a car with a back window, and not in a van or lorry with no back window.

Just help me get through this lesson, will you. Car ... you in back seat ... looking out of back window ... SIMPLE!

You look out of the back window and you see the clock. The light from the sun hits the clock, bounces into your eyes, and you see the clock; you even see the big hand move every minute.

Now imagine that the light is travelling from the sun at the speed of light. Also imagine that the car starts travelling fast forwards also at the speed of light. Can you imagine that? 

The car is travelling at gazillion miles per hour. 

The car's speed is the same as the speed of light.

The light is travelling from the sun to the clock at the speed of light. It is then travelling from the clock to your eyes also at the speed of light. 

But the car, with you in it, is also travelling at the speed of light. So the light bouncing back from the clock to your eyes will never catch up with you because you are travelling at the same speed of light.

So what happens ... ... ... ???

You will never be able to see the big hand on the clock move every minute. In fact you will not see the clock at all because the light bouncing from the clock never reaches you in time for you to see it.

It's as simple as that. Read the definition above again and it will make sense. 

Time dilation is a difference in the elapsed time measured by two clocks, either due to them having a velocity relative to each other, or by there being a gravitational potential difference between their locations.

The elapsed time between the two objects - sun and clock ... and clock and car - is the same. Or more if your car can drive faster than the speed of light. 

Now you can astound your friends at parties with this information.

I did. They listened carefully and all moved away and started talking about me. I think they were impressed by my knowledge.

What do you think?

24 comments:

  1. That 's ridiculous! If the car was traveling that fast, the clock would be below the horizon because of the Earths curve and not visible regardless of what the light was doing.

    Hard to believe I failed Physics isn't it.

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    1. I think the theory still holds, JoeH. I read it in a cartoon magazine the other day.

      Imagine instead of a car, you were in a rocket flying in a straight line so you will be able to see the clock at all times. That is assuming of course the rocket had a back window. And assuming the exhaust fumes and smoke from the rocket does not obscure your visions. And assuming that as you travel very fast and go very far away you'll still be able to see the clock even though the whole earth may not be visible, or would be a dot out in space. And assuming you could magnify the image on your screen as Jean Luc-Picard did in Star Trek. And assuming you had enough food and drink and toilet paper on the rocket with you so you don't need to stop for a rest at a restaurant or rest room on the way. If all these assumptions were to hold true, then so would the theory of Time Dilation. Because Einstein said so.

      God bless you my scientific friend.

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    2. Actually, that was a very good explanation, my Physics teacher would have used formulas full of x's and y's and it would make no sense to me. Yours makes very good sense.

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    3. Thanx, JoeH. My explanation is based on what Einstein actually claimed. The thing is, neither then, nor now, can we prove it because we do not have anything that goes faster than light. He "saw" things in his brain which, although probably correct, they are difficult to actually realise/prove because as yet we lack the scientific ability to do so.

      God bless.

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  2. I just look at my watch when I want to see the time. My eyes are fast so I can read the time really quick and move on to my other theories. What about time in a bottle? :)

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    1. Ah ... now you're talking Bill. Time in a bottle. Personally, I don't think there is a bottle big enough. That's why I have my Guinness on draught in the pub. More capacity. At home it is mostly in cans. Many cans. More capacity than bottles. Plenty of Guinness means plenty of time. Whether in a bottle or not.

      God bless, Bill.

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  3. I must be particularly brain challenged today, because despite your simple explanation I'm still confused.

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    1. It really is simple, Kathy. When you see something, say the table next to you. The light travels TO the table and bounces into your eyes within a millisecond. Very fast - at the speed of light in fact.

      If you run away at the speed of light (or faster). The light bouncing off the table will never catch up with you; so you will not see the table.

      God bless.

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  4. HaHa...I have a headache...but I'm much wiser!!! By the way...what time is it????? Time for cookies?? Thanks for your wonderful words of encouragement on my last post. I shared a little more to you in my reply. Blessings.

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    1. Thanx Wanda. Cookies are relative to the Time Dilation theory. The more cookies the quicker the time used to consume them.

      God bless you always.

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  5. I'm calling a "time out" on this one, Victor! You've got my head spinning - lol!
    Blessings!

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    1. I bet you can now impress your friends with this knowledge, Martha. More science tomorrow.

      God bless.

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  6. Me, too! Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody care, about time? (*smile*)

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    1. Time is what we make of it and how wisely we use it. At least that's what I was told when I ran out of time to do my homework at school.

      God bless, Mevely.

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  7. Not sure I totally understand but have the idea!

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    1. I don't understand it either, Happyone.

      God bless.

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  8. Totally over my head Victor.
    I couldn't understand it in school and I can't understand it now.
    But I don't comprehend lots of stuff anymore at Seventy three years old.
    That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

    Where am I?

    God's Blessings Victor 💮

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    1. The thing is, we're not meant to understand it. I think Einstein made it all up to confuse us.

      God bless, Jan.

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  9. I've completely lost track of time during this period of lock down! Is time relevant, Victor?
    Blessings, My Friend

    PS--thanks for the heads up---have the problem fixed

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    1. Good question, Lulu. I can't tell one day from another; so as you say, is it important?

      God bless always.

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  10. Thank you for explaining the almost inexplicable.

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    1. It took some time, but then what is Time Dilation, unless it is in a bottle.

      God bless, Mimi.

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  11. How could they not be impressed with you, my friend?

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    1. I think they were impressed, Chris. I heard them muttering something about a waste of time. I think they were talking about Einstein.

      God bless you, Chris.

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