I get that time can change depending on where you are in the world; however, I feel I have less of an understanding of time being relative after diving deeper into it.
In: Physics
If time were absolute, time would always go at 1 second per second everywhere under all circumstances and everyone would agree it does that.
This sounds reasonable, but science has shown this is not the case.
Say you look at someone traveling fast relative to you, both of you have something that is supposed to repeat ever 1 second. You know you both have the same thing. Yet when you measure the the other’s guys thing, you find it’s repeating every 2 seconds. Physics says that every possible experiment you could throw at that would show it’s taking 2 seconds. Every possible interaction would prove that it’s happening once every 2 seconds. So from your perspective, that guy’s time is only going at 50% of the speed.
But for the other guy, from his perspective the thing isn’t moving, for him it’s still repeating once every 1 second. Physics says that every possible experiment you could throw at that would show it’s taking 1 seconds. Every possible interaction would prove that it’s happening once every 1 seconds.
You and all of science says the guy’s thing repeats 2 seconds, that guy and all of science says the guy’s thing repeats every 1 second.
You are in disagreement because time isn’t an absolute, it’s relative.
And none of this is purely theoretical either.
GPS satellites have clocks accurate enough for time being relative to matter.
They have to do math to compensate.
Latest Answers