Time Dilation Explanation

[nsguy1350]

The equation for time dilation is:

[unparseable or potentially dangerous latex formula].

Plugging in, say, .5c for [unparseable or potentially dangerous latex formula] gives:

[unparseable or potentially dangerous latex formula],

which means that the observed time between events for an observer moving with a constant velocity of [unparseable or potentially dangerous latex formula] is greater than the observed time for a stationary observer. However, time is supposed to slow down the faster you move (for example, astronauts age less, by a very slight amount, than those who remain on Earth.) Why is this so? The equation seems to imply that observed time increases the faster you move. What am I interpreting incorrectly here?

[rcoker7]

The equation you wrote for time dilation refers to the time between ticks of clocks in each reference frame(sort of). So the statement t'>t implies that it takes longer for a second to pass in a moving reference frame than a stationary one, so the moving clock will run slow. So, when calculating the time measured by the moving observer, you can use t'=t*sqrt(1-v^2/c^2). This is technically an incorrect and bad explanation, but it gets the right result, and the correct explanation would take hours to type in a clear manner. If you're interested in really understanding relativity, which is by no means an easy task, then there are some good textbooks and # resources out there. I'd recommend T. M. Helliwell's Special Relativity, if you have the time to read a few chapters.

[hfscience]

Also, don't confuse general and special relativity. Although astronauts do move fast in the space shuttle it is no where near a percent of the speed of light, which if you plug into that equation you can see makes very little difference. I believe you are thinking of gravitational time dilation, which is due to general relativity and will probably never be on a UIL test. :)

[nsguy1350]

[101dalmatians]

So...
Another question:
#41 Inv B 2008
I seriously dont get how u do this w/ only distance given!
I tried using gravity as 9.8 but itdidnt work

[darksaber21]

That is just the maximum height that the ball reaches. At that point, the velocity is purely in the x-direction, meaning that any initial velocity in the y-direction that the ball had becomes zero in t seconds. So, first is to find the time it takes.

Since the time to go up is the same as going down, we can determine the time using one of the kinematics equations, obtaining [unparseable or potentially dangerous latex formula]

Since the velocity in the x-direction is constant (no acceleration in the x-direction), we can use the basic rate equation to determine the velocity, [unparseable or potentially dangerous latex formula]



As for the topic on hand, I need to study up on both general and special relativity. I never had the time to consider it, but now that I know more about physics, I think it is about time for me to research and teach myself both (if I can that is).

[hfscience]

[sxk1693]

[darksaber21]

[nsguy1350]

[101dalmatians]

Open corseware is on my TV... Thats pretty neat 4 me :O