I'm not an expert, but I'll try to pass on my understanding. A very simplified explanation would be that space and time can be mathematically modelled as relative to each other. Einstein combined the three physical dimensions and time into one seemless continuum, which is referred to as "spacetime."
Both are correct in their frames of reference because the physical distance is only constant when the frame of reference stays constant. Both the time AND the space change when you change the frame of reference, keeping in mind that a person travelling at almost the speed of light and a person on earth are very different frames of reference.
People quickly accept the concept of time dilation but not physical space, when really they are one and the same.
A big followup question to this:
So if i travel at 99.999999% the speed of light and my distance shrinks to said 15cm , what does the person observing see? Because given that the distance is just for me that short, am i slower to the person observing, given that(how he esplains it in the video) "million's of years"pass?
So am i just fast for my perception or do I feel like i am slower that 99.9999% the speed of light while for the observer actually traveling that fast?
A rough and ready explanation is that when accelerating, your frame of reference gets squished in that direction, so for you time would appear to speed up, like pressing fast forward and watching a whole movie in a few minutes.
From Earth, time stays the same, but because you are accelerating away, they would see you responding slower and slower, like you are slowing down.
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u/Formal_Scarcity_7701 Nov 27 '24
I'm not an expert, but I'll try to pass on my understanding. A very simplified explanation would be that space and time can be mathematically modelled as relative to each other. Einstein combined the three physical dimensions and time into one seemless continuum, which is referred to as "spacetime."
Both are correct in their frames of reference because the physical distance is only constant when the frame of reference stays constant. Both the time AND the space change when you change the frame of reference, keeping in mind that a person travelling at almost the speed of light and a person on earth are very different frames of reference.
People quickly accept the concept of time dilation but not physical space, when really they are one and the same.