Time is relative, according to renowned physicist Albert Einstein. In his special theory of relativity, Einstein said that time depends on the observer's reference frame.
Time Is Relative Meaning
Time is the same no matter where we are, but Einstein said it's not the case as it depends on our reference point. In 1905, Einstein boarded a tramcar on his way home and realized one thing that revolutionized modern physics.
While receding away from the Zytglogge (Clock Tower), he imagined what would happen if the tram canoeing at the speed of light. He realized that at such great speed, the hands of the clock would appear to be completely stationary. However, he knew that back at the clock tower, the hands would tick at their normal pace.
He realized that when he travels fast, time will slow down. He concluded that the faster you move through space, the slower you move through time. Einstein's work was heavily influenced by his idol Isaac Newton's laws of motion and James Clerk Maxwell's law of electromagnetism.
According to Newton's law, velocities are never absolute. Instead, it is relative, so their magnitude must be appended by the phrase "with respect to." For example, one will describe the speed of a train as 40 km/ concerning to someone at rest but only 20 km/ concerning to a train traveling 20 km/h in the same direction.
Meanwhile, Maxwell discovered that the speed of electromagnetic waves, such as light, is fixed. It will always be 299,792,458m/s regardless of who observes it. However, it is incompatible with Newton's motion of relative velocities, which presented a dilemma to Einstein.
The physicist was torn on whether Newton's laws were incomplete or the speed of light was not a universal constant. However, he realized that both notions could coexist with a small tweak in Newton's laws. To solve the measurement discrepancy, Einstein suggests that the man on the train must slow down to compensate for the decrease in speed such that the magnitude remains constant. He called the absurdity "Time Dilation" and his new theory "Special Relativity."
Time Paradox?
To thoroughly investigate the consequences of this concept, let's have twins Bob and Alice. Their clocks will remain in sync, and they will age in unison as long as they are in close proximity to one another.
However, things would be slightly different if Bob were to board a rocket ship and travel through the cosmos at almost the speed of light. Bob's voyage may have lasted merely a few months or several years. But for Alice, it might have taken decades or even centuries, depending on how quickly he moved.
This story, as puzzling as it may be, is not a paradox. This is precisely what the laws of special relativity require: based on their velocity, various observers in the universe would calculate time differently.
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