- #1
StrangeChicke
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Sorry if this has been asked before, but I tried a search and couldn't find anything... so here goes my question.
Suppose I'm going to hold the 1st annual Intergalactic Space Race, but only 2 people show up to compete. One guy is in a SuperPlamasmonic X3000 Racer, capable of a accelerating very rapidly to 20% of c. The other guy, is actually Merlin the Wizard, and he is riding a magic dragon capable of going as slow or as fast as he wants it, up to 99.999% of c.
Let's say my race has us going out a ways and back for a total trip of 40ly. Now, here is where I am confused. If the x3000 is going .2c, it should take him ~200years in both his time-reference and Earth's. Merlin, has several options. He could choose to go a measly .1c, in which case it will take him ~400years, again time dilation would have little effect. He could also go .7c, in which case he'd easily beat the X3000, going 60 years his time, but 80 years Earth time. Or, he could go .99c, in which case he'd think he still won, taking 40years...but on Earth it would seem like he took 280years? In that case, the X3000 would have been back 80 years prior?
Anyway, I'm an economist, and my other economist friends and I were sitting around trying to act smart when we came up with this problem. We don't do real math, so I'm convinced I'm wrong...but on the other hand, physics is strange stuff to me. What I'd really like to know if my summery is correct, and if this is a real paradox or not.
-Thanks in Advance (P.S. I hit enter before I finished, sorry if you read this while it was incomplete)
Suppose I'm going to hold the 1st annual Intergalactic Space Race, but only 2 people show up to compete. One guy is in a SuperPlamasmonic X3000 Racer, capable of a accelerating very rapidly to 20% of c. The other guy, is actually Merlin the Wizard, and he is riding a magic dragon capable of going as slow or as fast as he wants it, up to 99.999% of c.
Let's say my race has us going out a ways and back for a total trip of 40ly. Now, here is where I am confused. If the x3000 is going .2c, it should take him ~200years in both his time-reference and Earth's. Merlin, has several options. He could choose to go a measly .1c, in which case it will take him ~400years, again time dilation would have little effect. He could also go .7c, in which case he'd easily beat the X3000, going 60 years his time, but 80 years Earth time. Or, he could go .99c, in which case he'd think he still won, taking 40years...but on Earth it would seem like he took 280years? In that case, the X3000 would have been back 80 years prior?
Anyway, I'm an economist, and my other economist friends and I were sitting around trying to act smart when we came up with this problem. We don't do real math, so I'm convinced I'm wrong...but on the other hand, physics is strange stuff to me. What I'd really like to know if my summery is correct, and if this is a real paradox or not.
-Thanks in Advance (P.S. I hit enter before I finished, sorry if you read this while it was incomplete)
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