Relativity
Written by Elliott Grieco
Einstein walks into a “patent office” type of room
Einstein’s special theory of relativity was published in 1905, and his general theory was published only a year later.
An executive figure is ready at the desk with a stamp to “approve” his document. A red stamp comes down upon the theory document.
Einstein’s most revolutionary concept within his special theory of relativity was the idea of time dilation. That is, the difference between the speed of time among different frames of constant motion.
Camera focuses on clock on the wall of the patent office making a subtle “tick tock” noise behind the narration. The clock becomes isolated at the center, and the hands rotate around the central axis rapidly in a normal clock pattern.
But why does time dilation occur? How does it affect us? And how can we be sure that it exists?
Continue zooming in on clock; once circumference reaches the edges of the viewing area, the clock will shatter apart into many pieces with an appropriate sound effect. The shattered pieces will fall to the bottom.
These pieces continue falling to transition into the next scene – an empty highway with a speedometer sign reading “your speed is”
To begin our explanation, we must first hold one thing to be true: the speed of light is constant within and among all frames of reference. This value that represents light’s velocity is called c, which is over 670,000,000 miles per hour.
A beam of light shoots rapidly across the highway; the “radar sign” show a bunch of digits alternating (to simulate calculating) before it renders a speed of 670,000,000 mph.
Fades into next scene; two situations, side by side, happen simultaneously. On the left, a person stands out of the roof of a car reads the speed of light at the headlight. A word bubble over his head says “c!” Another relatively stationary person takes the reading of the light and simultaneously shouts out “c!” in a word bubble. On the right, a similar situation occurs, but instead of “throwing” light, the passenger instead throws a baseball. The person in the car yells out “vball” while the one on the ground yells out “vlight+ vball”
But how can light always be seen at a constant speed? When we throw a ball out of a car, we expect that a stationary and moving observer would get two different readings of speed relative to them. However, when this situation is done in terms of light, both viewers will read the same speed from either frame of reference.
There is no proven reason for this behavior of light, and we must just assume that this property remains true.
Now, let’s turn our discussion in terms of space.
Background transforms into star filled sky, white sporadically sparkling stars over a black background.
There are two space ships,
Two space ships, one above another appear in two different frames of video, clearly divided; one travels through space, which will be simulated by looping the starry background backwards and having a rocket boost out the back of the ship. The rocket boosting effect will be simulated with 2 frames of fire being ejected from the rear of the rocket.
each with a pair of mirrors that are directly opposite one another.
The reflective surfaces fade into their appropriate places
One is in motion while the other is relatively stationary.
Now, imagine a particle of light, better known as a photon, were shot directly downward on both of these mirrors.
Show particle of light bouncing up and down purely vertically in both.
When one observer is in each space ship, both observers will see the light particle moving up and down vertically relative to them.
However, when the stationary ship watches the ship in motion, this is what he will see:
Ship begins to move from left side towards right side of screen; the photon constantly moves towards the opposite mirror it just had bounced off of, and therefore creates a diagonal path. The path will be drawn out as “tracing” from photon.
Because the photon travels a diagonal path on the space ship in motion, the photon must therefore travel a greater distance between each bounce than the photon on the stationary ship. But we must remember, however, that the speed of light always remains constant.
As the above is said, the ships loop an animation of the bouncing photon, one stationary and one in motion.
Identical equations fade in (d=ct) below each ship.
So, if the distance is larger,
Show “d” below ship in motion grow
then time itself must be smaller compared to the stationary ship in order for “c” to remain constant.
Show t shrink in equation below moving ship as above is said.
We can only conclude, then, that time must have moved slower in the moving ship than the stationary one!
This is a classic example of the logic behind time dilation. However, we cannot see the changes caused by time dilation. However, this factor does need to be taken into account for the more modern engineering marvels, including the proper synchronization of GPS satellites.
Satellite above earth sends of “wave signals”
The time dilation effect has even been experimentally tested – an atomic clock on a plane was compared to relatively stationary one on earth. The differences on the clocks varied by billionths of a second; however, the difference in these times were correctly predicted by Einstein’s equations.
Plane flies through the air with an analog clock hanging underneath it on a left frame; there is a clock at ground level that has its hands moving faster than the ones on the plane, which will be a very exaggerated showing of time dilation.
Fin
