2.3M views · Aug 26, 2016 · 3:34 · 2 HN recommenders · 4 mentions · discussed 2018–2021
A minutephysics explainer on the twins paradox in special relativity. It shows why the traveling twin ends up younger and how acceleration resolves the paradox.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN commenters recommend it as an easy-to-digest explanation of time dilation and the twin paradox.
“Minute Physics did a good couple of videos on this”HN comment, 2018
“Minute Physics did a good couple of videos on this”
Easy-to-digest explanation of time dilation
Minute Physics did a good couple of videos on this[0,1], pretty much the same info as is in the Wiki but might be easier to digest for some people. [0]: link [1]: this video
“These minutephysics videos provide some idea of what's happening”
Gives an idea of what happens at relativistic speeds
These minutephysics videos provide some idea of what's happening: - link - this video (Although the time dilation in Interstellar is due to gravity, not high-speed travel.)
“Here’s a minute physics video that shows how acceleration explains the twins paradox”
Shows common acceleration explanation, then contrasts with a correction
When you accelerate away from me in an elevator, only one of us experiences additional forces during that acceleration. Only your body feels heavier as the elevator speeds up. Here’s a minute physics video that shows how acceleration explains the twins paradox (the “common” explanation) this video After you watch minute physics video, you might feel like you understand. Nope, can’t have any of that. Now, you must watch this Fermi lab video that says the common explanation is “not fundamentally correct” link
Cited for resolution of the twin paradox
I'm pretty sure this doesn't work out because you have to slow down. So thinking about it, if you are traveling at that speed because of your inertial reference frame it is equivalent that everyone else around you is moving at (or near) the speed of light and they are moving slowly through time. This is the classic twin paradox and there is a resolution to it, which is that you can't instantaneously turn around.[0] Or in our case, we have to turn around to slow down. [0] this video
