Why don't you feel older when traveling at the speed of light?

In summary, the twin paradox scenario suggests that when one twin travels near the speed of light and returns to Earth, their surroundings seem to have aged greatly, including their twin brother. However, the traveling twin does not age at the same rate as their brother who remained on Earth. This is explained in more detail in the discussion thread referenced.
  • #1
noblegas
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According to the twin parodox scenario, when a twin goes in a rocketship and it travels near the speed of light and come back toearth with his now older twin brother at a speed far from the speed of light , his surroundings suddenly seems like they aged greatly , including his twin brother. While he was been traveling near the speed of light , his surroundings exactly appeared as it did as he departed from the Earth before his rocketship reached the speed of light . If his surroundings suddenly seemed liked they age as his rocketship slows down to the to a speed far away from the speed of light, why doesn't he age as well as his brother who was on Earth the whole time?
 
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  • #2
See #7 and #8 in this thread, and ask again if you have a specific question about the answers given there.
 

FAQ: Why don't you feel older when traveling at the speed of light?

Why does time seem to slow down at the speed of light?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, time and space are interconnected. As an object approaches the speed of light, its velocity through space increases, causing time to slow down relative to an observer not traveling at the same speed. This phenomenon is known as time dilation.

Does this mean that someone traveling at the speed of light would not age at all?

No, even at the speed of light, time is still passing, just at a slower rate. This means that although a traveler may experience time differently, they would still age, just at a slower pace compared to someone not traveling at the speed of light.

What happens when the traveler returns to their original speed?

When the traveler returns to their original speed, they will have experienced less time compared to an observer who did not travel at the speed of light. This means that the traveler will have aged less than the observer, leading to the concept of time travel into the future.

Is this effect only limited to traveling at the speed of light?

No, time dilation can occur at any speed, but it becomes more significant as the speed approaches the speed of light. Even a difference in speed as small as 10% of the speed of light can result in a noticeable time dilation effect.

Can we use time dilation to travel into the past?

Unfortunately, time dilation only allows for travel into the future, not the past. To travel into the past, we would need to find a way to exceed the speed of light, which is currently not possible according to the laws of physics.

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