can somone explain the theory of relativity?

[NOT THE DUDE...]

in laymans terms, can someone explain the best they can the theory of relativity?

why when traveling the speed of light do i only age for a few years but my friends back on earth age for hundreds of years?

wtf?

[OpIv37]

Yes.

[MidnightVoice]

Yes.

It is only a theory - and a vast left wing plot designed to regulate the travel industry and promote satanism

[YardRat]

Newton >>>>>>>>>> Einstein

[jamze132]

Depending on how fast your aging compared to your earth-bound friends, you may need to make an adjustment to the flux capacitor or the choke vacuum diaphragm.

[chernobylwraiths]

it's a theory that you shouldn't procreate with close relatives

[MidnightVoice]

In layman's terms. it says that if you know where you are you don't know where you are going.

And; PS Your cat is (or isn't) dead

[Night Train]

It's realtive that if you're on the Ignore list and change your handle 10 times a year, you're still on ignore and everyone still knows who you originally were.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

in laymans terms, can someone explain the best they can the theory of relativity?

why when traveling the speed of light do i only age for a few years but my friends back on earth age for hundreds of years?

wtf?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox

[SABURZFAN]

in laymans terms, can someone explain the best they can the theory of relativity?

why when traveling the speed of light do i only age for a few years but my friends back on earth age for hundreds of years?

wtf?

YOU have friends????

[YankeeInRaleigh]

In layman's terms. it says that if you know where you are you don't know where you are going.

And; PS Your cat is (or isn't) dead

I believe you're referring to heisenbergs uncertain shrodinger principle :)

[clumping platelets]

E = mc^2

That's the best I can do for ya

[mightysimi]

The theory is that we are moving through space and time at a constant rate. So if you imagine a graph with space on one axis and time on the other, as your journey through space increases, your journey through time slows. That's the theory anyways.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

The theory is that we are moving through space and time at a constant rate. So if you imagine a graph with space on one axis and time on the other, as your journey through space increases, your journey through time slows. That's the theory anyways.

But why? does this mean distance/space is related in some way to time?

well, how come my brother isnt older when i go 500mph to cali? i know this is a horrible example, but is this what you are getting at?

[mightysimi]

But why? does this mean distance/space is related in some way to time?

well, how come my brother isnt older when i go 500mph to cali? i know this is a horrible example, but is this what you are getting at?

I'm only explaining what little I know and it is from pure interest in reading about it. I am in no way a physicist.
So right, space and time a related. if on one axis you have space and the other time, the line in the graph will be a 45 degree diagonal from the corner because they are proportionate. When you move a point one way or the other it directly affects the other one. So if you incresase the space, that dot moves further down the time part.

As for your second one, I would guess because the speed difference is too small. It might be too small to be measured. As you approach the speed of light at 299 792 458 m/s that difference gets a whole lot bigger. Now as I understand it, that's the theory. However, from what I have read, it is called time dilation.

As for the main theory of E=MC2, That is the energy expended needs to equal the mass X speed of light squared. So as the mass gets closer to the speed of light, the energy increases dramatically. So this theory says that nothing can go faster than the speed of light which we now know isn't correct as they have had particles travel faster than the speed of light.

Hopefully this helps. Sorry if my babbling isn't clear.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

I'm only explaining what little I know and it is from pure interest in reading about it. I am in no way a physicist.
So right, space and time a related. if on one axis you have space and the other time, the line in the graph will be a 45 degree diagonal from the corner because they are proportionate. When you move a point one way or the other it directly affects the other one. So if you incresase the space, that dot moves further down the time part.

As for your second one, I would guess because the speed difference is too small. It might be too small to be measured. As you approach the speed of light at 299 792 458 m/s that difference gets a whole lot bigger. Now as I understand it, that's the theory. However, from what I have read, it is called time dilation.

As for the main theory of E=MC2, That is the energy expended needs to equal the mass X speed of light squared. So as the mass gets closer to the speed of light, the energy increases dramatically. So this theory says that nothing can go faster than the speed of light which we now know isn't correct as they have had particles travel faster than the speed of light.

Hopefully this helps. Sorry if my babbling isn't clear.

yeah, i get it. it just seems odd thinking that literal time is slowing down when you go faster... doesnt this create the grandfather paradox though? and twin paradox?

[mightysimi]

yeah, i get it. it just seems odd thinking that literal time is slowing down when you go faster... doesnt this create the grandfather paradox though? and twin paradox?

About that, I have no idea.

[Typ0]

general relativity states that gravitational forces between masses exist due to the warping of space and time around those masses. This is important because it intertwines the idea of a three dimensional space and time in a bound relationship with time being a fourth dimension. I guess it's just kind of intuitive to think time is a human construct to explain something convenient to human taxomony of events to explain things in terms of earth revolutions around it's axis and the sun. So general relativity asks us to go beyond our empiracle surroundings and consider time as a property of spacetime not just this sun earth thing. Hey, we used to think the earth was flat too because if we look down at the earth below our feet it's curvature is too slight to be recognized as round.

Going further with this idea Special Relativity states that there is no such thing as a state of rest. This is because the idea of motion and measurement of motion MUST only be measured relative between objects. So you might see motion but that motion would only be measured relative to what you see. Were you to measure the same motion relative to the sun, for example, your calculations would have to include the rotation of the earth on it's axis as well as the earths motion around the sun. So it makes sense that motion itself is a property between entities but not an abolute because there is no absolute frame of reference against which to measure.

Wow that's pretty neat stuff. The way this thinking came about is trying to explain that no matter where or how the speed of light was measured it always came out to be at the same rate! So, under special relativity E=MC2 comes about to indicate mass of a body is a measurement of it's internal energy due to the fact that the speed of light is a constant throughout the universe.

In general relativity, since time and space is warped around mass ... a clock closer to a massive object runs slower than a clock floating in the abyss of space.

In special relativity there is no absolute frame of reference. Clocks running in the abyss of space ran slower than clocks on Earth.

Together these things kinda work together to demonstrate that a person on earth sees a clock running at one rate while a person travelling away from earth at the speed of light sees a clock operating at a slower rate. Cooincidently, if they can see each others clocks they agree that the clock in space is running slower and the clock on earth is running faster from both perspectives. Hence, this is a phenomena of nature and not a malfunction of either clock.

These things have been observed using real clocks. The theory does not mean you have to be travelling at the speed of light ...it's about all velocities and all measurements of mass. Hence, again it's a quality of spacetime. It's just that the effect are most pronounced around the largest bodies of mass and the greatest velocities.

In short love your wife and **** her brains out at a constant rate as well...and if you are fortunate to travel into space really fast you just might get laid one more time than if you were to stay in your bed on earth....

[Typ0]

I'm only explaining what little I know and it is from pure interest in reading about it. I am in no way a physicist.
So right, space and time a related. if on one axis you have space and the other time, the line in the graph will be a 45 degree diagonal from the corner because they are proportionate. When you move a point one way or the other it directly affects the other one. So if you incresase the space, that dot moves further down the time part.

As for your second one, I would guess because the speed difference is too small. It might be too small to be measured. As you approach the speed of light at 299 792 458 m/s that difference gets a whole lot bigger. Now as I understand it, that's the theory. However, from what I have read, it is called time dilation.

As for the main theory of E=MC2, That is the energy expended needs to equal the mass X speed of light squared. So as the mass gets closer to the speed of light, the energy increases dramatically. So this theory says that nothing can go faster than the speed of light which we now know isn't correct as they have had particles travel faster than the speed of light.

Hopefully this helps. Sorry if my babbling isn't clear.

the speed of light is a constant and mass and energy are in direct proportion. So the speed of the mass is irrelevant to the energy. In other words, energy is a measurement based on the mass of the object not how fast it travels. If mass goes up energy goes up. If mass goes down energy goes down.

[Typ0]

yeah, i get it. it just seems odd thinking that literal time is slowing down when you go faster... doesnt this create the grandfather paradox though? and twin paradox?

It i because time and space are intertwined and there is no absolute frame of reference for the velocity measurements. It is a really funky thing to wrap your head around. You have to kind of let go of your limited earthly human vision of a sorts.