Twins Paradox: The paradox within the paradox

In summary: In fact, your whole body will accelerate. Everything accelerates inside the body as well when the body accelerates.But from the cells pov with the kidney as the inertial frame of reference the cells are not accelerating. In the same way that we do not take into account the Earth's acceleration while orbiting the Sun, when we consider the Earth to be an inertial frame of reference with respect to physical laws taking place on the surface of the Earth.
  • #1
YummyFur
97
0
The twin who has left Earth and travels close to the speed of light in his spaceship, lands back on Earth only to find everyone has died of old age thousands of years ago.

This I'm told is because the perception of time and time itself, within the inertial frame of reference of the spaceship passes normally. But what about the cells in her body. Wouldn't the kidney for example be an inertial frame of reference for the kidney cells. From the cells' point of view they are aging and dying or multiplying with cancerous intent as if the body containing the organ were still on Earth because whether the body is moving or not, the organ containing the cells is stationary from the point of view of the cells.

Therefore would it not be that while time would be perceived to be running normally for the person, that the internal components of the body would age the same way as her Earthbound brother.
 
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  • #2
How could the person who gets on a spaceship leave their cells on earth? when you get in a spaceship, a car, a train, go for a walk, your organs travel with you. Otherwise I think you would die, say, without a heart or lungs or a brain, if they did not stay in your body. So the organs travel with her on the spaceship, and are therefore in the same reference frame as her, not on Earth's reference frame
 
  • #3
you have misunderstood

...as if the body containing the organ were still on Earth...
 
  • #4
YummyFur said:
Wouldn't the kidney for example be an inertial frame of reference for the kidney cells. From the cells' point of view they are aging and dying or multiplying with cancerous intent as if the body containing the organ were still on Earth because whether the body is moving or not, the organ containing the cells is stationary from the point of view of the cells.
Everything accelerates inside the body as well when the body accelerates.
 
  • #5
But from the cells pov with the kidney as the inertial frame of reference the cells are not accelerating. In the same way that we do not take into account the Earth's acceleration while orbiting the Sun, when we consider the Earth to be an inertial frame of reference with respect to physical laws taking place on the surface of the Earth.
 
  • #6
YummyFur said:
But from the cells pov with the kidney as the inertial frame of reference the cells are not accelerating. In the same way that we do not take into account the Earth's acceleration while orbiting the Sun, when we consider the Earth to be an inertial from of reference with respect to physical laws taking place on the surface of the Earth.
Sorry what you say does not make any sense.

If you accelerate, your teeth will accelerate as well unless they fall out.
 

FAQ: Twins Paradox: The paradox within the paradox

What is the Twins Paradox and how does it work?

The Twins Paradox is a thought experiment in special relativity that explores the idea of time dilation. It involves one twin staying on Earth while the other twin travels through space at near-light speeds and returns to Earth. The traveling twin will experience time passing slower than the twin on Earth, resulting in the twins aging at different rates upon their reunion.

Is the Twins Paradox a real phenomenon?

While the Twins Paradox is a well-known thought experiment, it is not a real phenomenon. In reality, the traveling twin would not experience any time dilation due to their relative motion. Instead, both twins would age at the same rate according to their own perception of time.

What is the significance of the Twins Paradox in understanding relativity?

The Twins Paradox helps to illustrate the principles of special relativity, which states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion. It also highlights the concept of time dilation, where time appears to pass slower for objects in motion compared to objects at rest.

Can the Twins Paradox be resolved?

Yes, the Twins Paradox can be resolved by taking into account the effects of acceleration and deceleration on time dilation. When the traveling twin changes direction or stops, their time will "catch up" to the twin on Earth, resulting in both twins aging at the same rate.

Are there any real-life examples of the Twins Paradox?

While the Twins Paradox does not occur in real life, the effects of time dilation have been observed in experiments with particles traveling at near-light speeds. One example is the Muon experiment, where high-energy muon particles were found to have a longer half-life when traveling at high speeds, as predicted by the principles of special relativity.

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