[_ Old Earth _] What is really time?

[AIR]

What's really time? Why is slower in space than in Earth?

 

[TOG]

Does time really go faster when you're having fun, or does it just seem to go faster?

Does time really go slower when you're traveling fast or does it just seem to go slower?

I believe that time doesn't actually go slower at great speeds or near strong gravitational sources, but rather that gravity and speed have an effect on physical objects, causing them to behave as if time was going slower.

The TOG​

 

[Claudya]

What's really time? Why is slower in space than in Earth?

It isn't slower in space, it's slower when you're moving fast. And things flying in space, like space ships and so, travel very fast.
Yeah time is relative.
The speed of light is constant, though. Don't ask. Just accept it. lol
Or get into the fun mathematics of the relativity theory. If you get a good explanation it's not soooo hard to understand, but still weird.

 

[AIR]

why it is slower when moving fast

 

[TOG]

Because going fast is scary and being scared isn't fun and time goes faster when you're having fun so it goes slower when you're doing something that isn't fun, like being scared because you're going fast.

The TOG​

 

[Claudya]

Because going fast is scary and being scared isn't fun and time goes faster when you're having fun so it goes slower when you're doing something that isn't fun, like being scared because you're going fast.

The TOG​

Well that's not mathematically exact. You should at least put that into a formula.

 

[Barbarian]

Try this. It's the only explanation of relativity I've found that doesn't make my head hurt.
http://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Guide-Physics-Larry-Gonick/dp/0062731009

No joke, the guy knows what he's talking about, and he keeps it simple as possible.

 

[TOG]

Well that's not mathematically exact. You should at least put that into a formula.

T(r) = Rate at which time passes (Higher number means time passes faster)
V = Velocity
F = Fun level (Higher number means more fun)

Time passes faster in direct proportion to the square of the amount of fun you're having.
T(r) = F²

Although going fast is fun up to a point, that point is so slow that it won't affect time. Once you reach a speed that is fast enough to affect the passage of time, it get's really scary and is no fun at all. The amount of fun you have is in inverse proportion to the square of the velocity at which you are traveling.
F = 1/V²

So...

T(r) = 1/V ⁴

This formula doesn't take gravity into account, so it's not entirely accurate. But if you're going fast enough for it to matter, you're probably already dead anyway, so you don't have to worry about it.

The TOG​

 

[Barbarian]

Here's the math involved. Don't say I didn't warn you. Buy the cartoon book. You'll get the same info, but a lot easier to understand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation