To heaven's brightest star, Sirius, the distance is 8.8 light years. We assume that a person goes there with a spacecraft and returns after 19 years. How long time does this person think has gone past? Please explain thoroughly, as I'm new to physics and don't know so much.
8.8 light years= 8.32 E13 km= 8.32 E16 meters
time taken for travel = 19 years= 6 E8 seconds
velocity of travel = 1.38E8 m/s
Time elapsed is given by the time dilation formula ( lorentz transformation factor)
where C= velocity of light = 3 E8 m/s
v= velocity of space craft = 1.38E8 m/s
Time dilation = 0.88 T
=0.88*6E8 =5.28E8 seconds
= 16.7 years
The concept of time dilation is applied in the above problem.
It is a concept in theory of relativity where the speed of the prticle is comparable (approaches) to that of speed of light. the reduction in time observed by a person in the moving frame of reference ( moving space craft) to that of a time observed by the person in the stationary frame of reference ( earth) is measured in the units of time.
Usually the changes in time observed by a person on a space -time relation is called time dilation.
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