Re: What causes time dilation?

From: Thomas Trotter (thomastrotter2005_at_juno.com)
Date: 08/28/04 

Date: 28 Aug 2004 00:09:41 -0700

"hunkahunkaburninluv" <some@where.come> wrote in message news:<2p75lgFhs9v9U1@uni-berlin.de>...
> First, I am not a physicist. I do desktop publishing as a profession, but am
> an avid sci-fi reader.
>
> Two related questions. What causes time to slow down as a ship approaches
> the speed of light? Is there any possibility that we could create the effect
> on a stationary object? Imagine a room in which time was slowed down to say
> 1% normal. One year might in it might equal 100 years.

As far as I understand, time dilation and differential
aging are sort of different things.

Time dilation is a symmetric artifact of certain
definitions/conventions/transformations. These
definitions/conventions/transformations give
empirical (ie., unambiguous) meaning to statements
regarding, for example, the simultaneity of spatially
separated events.

Differential aging is the asymmetric result of
different histories of acceleration as described
by a certain geometric representation of 'reality'.
Whether or not the geometric representation is the
definitive description of reality is an open
question.

Anyway, (and please don't take offense at this)
your questions (other than the one pertaining
to the 'cause' of time dilation) are sort of
meaningless -- at least without further
qualification.

Relevant Pages

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