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I think time is a constantly and uniformly flowing thing made by us to compare and relate different events with each other by it. It help us to predict things at different points in this flow. It forms the basic framework joining all events together. It makes things convenient and helps to do more complex things. Please tell me whether I am right? Then how could time run slower when moving fast or in a strong gravitational field?

Qmechanic
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BIDISH RANJAN Das
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1 Answers1

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Imagine that you and I have a pair of lead-lined suitcases, each containing an identical lump of some radioactive element.

  1. If we sit next to each other holding our suitcases, then our lumps will decay at precisely the same rate.
  2. If you pick up your suitcase, run around in circles for a while, and then come back and compare with me, then your lump will have decayed less than mine.
  3. If you pick up your suitcase, take it to the top of a mountain for a while, and then come back and compare with me, then your lump will have decayed more than mine.

In each case, you won't notice any difference in the decay rate of your lump, regardless of your state of motion or location - you see a steady rate of decay, and only notice a discrepancy when you sit back down next to me and compare lumps. You can wrap whatever words you'd like around this phenomenon, but this is what people mean when they say that time passes differently for different observers.

Albatross
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