The Twin Paradox

     In the previous blog I have mentioned about the Special Theory of Relativity given by Albert Einstein and the various outcomes of the derived equations that gives results that can be astonish everyone.

          Remember the time equation 

Where T= time passed an inertial reference frame moving at velocity v

            Tr=time passed in an inertial reference frame which is at rest with the observer.

            c=velocity of light in vacuum

Now consider a situation where in a given moment two twins are born immediately after they are born one of them is taken to a space ship and the space ship is sent rocketing and it accelerates to it reaches speeds of 0.99c ie 99% of the velocity of  light in vacuum. 

            What are the outcomes ,after working out the equations the results are 

  T=0.0199Tr

We can round it up as 

T=0.012Tr so 1000T=12Tr

Which in other words mean that 1000 months on earth is equivalent to 12 months in the spaceship that is moving in a straight line at 99% of the speed of light so by the time the the baby on earth is 83 years and 4 months old the baby on the space ship is just 1 year old , now during this while if the spaceship stops and moves back in the opposite direction towards the earth accelerating quickly to a velocity of 0.99c . So making an assumption that the one the 1st birthday of the baby on spaceship it stops and moves back towards the earth , it would reach the earth on 2 nd birthday of the baby in spaceship, now by then the baby who was on earth is now an old man approximately 166 years old and most probably dead.

This is the twin paradox. This shows what we would observe when we are able to achieve relativistic speeds, at present with the technologies available it is not possible to accelerate a massive body like a spaceship to such high velocities but in the future this may be possible and when its possible happenings like the above example would be very normal.

We can actually send astronauts to planets that are many light years away. They won't get to old during the entire mission however when they come back the people with whom they would have to deal would be different since most of the people who were present at the time when the left earth would have died by then.