How does Einstein’s light clock explain time dilation?

[bobmax]

Therefore for the photon our time has never passed and our universe has never existed.

The photon is still at that initial moment of the Big Bang.

Or is it rather experiencing all moments simultaneously?

Yes, it can be.

The photon experiences all moments of the entire universe simultaneously.

In fact, for the photon all the billions of years of the universe is a single instant and its dimensions are only a dimensionless point.

[Impenitent]

if time stops when you reach the speed of light, how do you know for how long you are going that fast?

Well, if you had a map of the universe you could work out how far you had travelled. Divide that distance by the speed of light and that will give you the time you spent travelling. In the same way, if you drive to somewhere you know is a hundred miles away, and you've done a steady 50mph, you know you have been driving for two hours. If you don't know how far you have travelled, there is no way to know how long it took you.

if your eyes are moving at the speed of light, how do you see? light couldn't "reach" them could it? does some light travel faster than others?

if you are moving at the speed of light for an hour, what year would it be when you slowed back down?

A hour doesn't really mean anything at the speed of light; every particle is going as fast as is theoretically possible, and faster than is possible in practise, so everything is going in a straight line and there is no interaction between atoms; literally nothing happens. From the point of view of an hour on Earth, an hour at light speed is roughly the distance to Saturn. Anyone making that trip would age precisely one Earth hour less than the rest of us.

"literally nothing happens" ...locally, (at the speed of light) that may be true... if nothing happens, would time itself stop? locally if nowhere else... if time is stopped locally, how does one judge an hour? ...

is it relative to that which is moving slower? is it a different time altogether? does a different time necessitate a different space? a different dimension at any rate...

For practical purposes, dimensions are just measuring sticks. Any point is space can be located relative to any other using three directions, usually left or right, back or forward, up or down: x, y and z in geometry. Time, t, is a 'dimension' for locating events. You might know where the party is happening, but if you don't know when, you'll miss it anyway.

and at the speed of light, does time stop (or is surpassed) locally? or is your movement beyond that which can be computed at the speed of light? if thoughts (electrical and chemical reactions between synapses in the brain) are taking place at the speed of light, would they stop in a brain that was moving faster than the reactions? moving faster than thought... biological thoughts as well as mechanical thoughts... the computer couldn't "think" that quickly either... one couldn't think about it until they slowed down...

and we have the ironic time traveler... in the dream of existing outside of time, he devises a way to reach the speed of light... but in the years it requires to reach the velocity- he dies of old age...

just some errant thoughts...

-Imp

You can safely reach light speed in under a year, at least in theory.

safely reach the speed at which one couldn't exist...

interesting thoughts...

-Imp

[Will Bouwman]

Here's a thing I've been working on. Might submit it to the magazine:

I haven't really read the rest of the thread, but I just wanted to say I appreciate this explanation. I've been wanting to wrap my head around relativity for a while, and I think you've helped. Thanks.

Very good of you to say so. It's basically part of a cartoon book I wrote to explain all sorts of science. It's available on Amazon, but you can read a version of it here: https://popgunsbubblesandmotorbikes.blo ... -guns.html

[Age]

if time stops when you reach the speed of light, how do you know for how long you are going that fast?

Well, if you had a map of the universe you could work out how far you had travelled. Divide that distance by the speed of light and that will give you the time you spent travelling. In the same way, if you drive to somewhere you know is a hundred miles away, and you've done a steady 50mph, you know you have been driving for two hours. If you don't know how far you have travelled, there is no way to know how long it took you.

But 'time', itself, does NOT stop at the speed of light.

if you are moving at the speed of light for an hour, what year would it be when you slowed back down?

A hour doesn't really mean anything at the speed of light; every particle is going as fast as is theoretically possible, and faster than is possible in practise,

A LOT of things, once upon a time, could NOT go faster than what was ALLEGED to be 'a speed possible in practice'. But a LOT of things ALSO turn out to be False, Wrong, AND Incorrect.

so everything is going in a straight line and there is no interaction between atoms; literally nothing happens.

It is good to see that you have now CHANGED your wording here regarding this. But, sadly, it is STILL Wrong AND Incorrect.

From the point of view of an hour on Earth, an hour at light speed is roughly the distance to Saturn. Anyone making that trip would age precisely one Earth hour less than the rest of us.

Wrong, AGAIN. But you are NOT even OPEN enough to find out WHY.

is it relative to that which is moving slower? is it a different time altogether? does a different time necessitate a different space? a different dimension at any rate...

For practical purposes, dimensions are just measuring sticks.

And, it could also be said and argued that durations are just measuring sticks, as well.

Any point is space can be located relative to any other using three directions, usually left or right, back or forward, up or down: x, y and z in geometry. Time, t, is a 'dimension' for locating events. You might know where the party is happening, but if you don't know when, you'll miss it anyway.

A very misleading response.

But you are, after all, just repeating the misleading views that have been fed to you.

and we have the ironic time traveler... in the dream of existing outside of time, he devises a way to reach the speed of light... but in the years it requires to reach the velocity- he dies of old age...

just some errant thoughts...

-Imp

You can safely reach light speed in under a year, at least in theory.

I thought it was ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE for ANY one to reach light speed, to you?

[Age]

if time stops when you reach the speed of light, how do you know for how long you are going that fast?

Well, if you had a map of the universe you could work out how far you had travelled. Divide that distance by the speed of light and that will give you the time you spent travelling. In the same way, if you drive to somewhere you know is a hundred miles away, and you've done a steady 50mph, you know you have been driving for two hours. If you don't know how far you have travelled, there is no way to know how long it took you.

if your eyes are moving at the speed of light, how do you see?

The same way you do now.

light couldn't "reach" them could it?

Yes light can, and does.

does some light travel faster than others?

No.

A hour doesn't really mean anything at the speed of light; every particle is going as fast as is theoretically possible, and faster than is possible in practise, so everything is going in a straight line and there is no interaction between atoms; literally nothing happens. From the point of view of an hour on Earth, an hour at light speed is roughly the distance to Saturn. Anyone making that trip would age precisely one Earth hour less than the rest of us.

"literally nothing happens" ...locally, (at the speed of light) that may be true... if nothing happens, would time itself stop? locally if nowhere else... if time is stopped locally, how does one judge an hour? ...

'Time' is NOT a thing that could stop.

For practical purposes, dimensions are just measuring sticks. Any point is space can be located relative to any other using three directions, usually left or right, back or forward, up or down: x, y and z in geometry. Time, t, is a 'dimension' for locating events. You might know where the party is happening, but if you don't know when, you'll miss it anyway.

and at the speed of light, does time stop (or is surpassed) locally?

Neither.

or is your movement beyond that which can be computed at the speed of light? if thoughts (electrical and chemical reactions between synapses in the brain) are taking place at the speed of light, would they stop in a brain that was moving faster than the reactions? moving faster than thought... biological thoughts as well as mechanical thoughts... the computer couldn't "think" that quickly either... one couldn't think about it until they slowed down...

You can safely reach light speed in under a year, at least in theory.

safely reach the speed at which one couldn't exist...

interesting thoughts...

-Imp

[Will Bouwman]

But 'time', itself, does NOT stop at the speed of light.

What do you mean by time?

[Age]

But 'time', itself, does NOT stop at the speed of light.

What do you mean by time?

What I mean by 'time' is the measuring of the duration between perceived events.

What do you mean by time?

[Will Bouwman]

What I mean by 'time' is the measuring of the duration between perceived events.

What do you mean by duration?

What do you mean by time?

Well, 'duration' is meaningless unless you assume absolute time. Rather than measure time in terms of question begging duration, time is always counted by perceived events. But as predicted by Einstein and proven subsequently, our perception of events depends on how we move and the gravity we are subject to.

[Age]

What I mean by 'time' is the measuring of the duration between perceived events.

What do you mean by duration?

A distance, which is measured by contraptions that are generally known as clocks and/or watches.

What do you mean by time?

Well, 'duration' is meaningless unless you assume absolute time.

What do you mean by 'absolute time'?

Rather than measure time in terms of question begging duration, time is always counted by perceived events.

But 'time' is NOT measured. Did you even read what 'time' means to me?

If yes, then what did you take from that?

But as predicted by Einstein and proven subsequently, our perception of events depends on how we move and the gravity we are subject to.

LOL
LOL
LOL

You are SO Wrong here, which explains WHY you are STILL SO LOST and SO CONFUSED here.

Also, and by the way, WHY can you NOT inform us of what you mean by 'time'?

And, did you inform us of what you mean by 'absolute time'?

If no, then WHY NOT?

[Will Bouwman]

What do you mean by duration?

A distance, which is measured by contraptions that are generally known as clocks and/or watches.

What do clocks count to measure the distance you speak of?

[Age]

What do you mean by duration?

A distance, which is measured by contraptions that are generally known as clocks and/or watches.

What do clocks count to measure the distance you speak of?

Clocks do NOT 'count' ANY thing.

'you', human beings, have made clocks to 'tick', or 'count', at a certain rate. And, what that 'tick', or 'count', rate is in relation to, EXACTLY, should be OBVIOUS by now. That is; if one has been reading what I have been saying and writing here.

And, WHY do you NOT inform us of what 'time' AND 'absolute time' means, to you?

When you ask me what 'things' mean, to me, I have the decency to inform you. Why do you NOT reciprocate?

[Will Bouwman]

'you', human beings, have made clocks to 'tick', or 'count', at a certain rate.

A certain rate of what? What are you counting to determine the rate?

[Age]

'you', human beings, have made clocks to 'tick', or 'count', at a certain rate.

A certain rate of what? What are you counting to determine the rate?

WHY do you NOT tell us what 'absolute time' and 'time' means to you?

WHAT are you AFRAID or FEARFUL of here, EXACTLY?

The 'rate' of the sun's movement in relation to a position on earth. We are NOT 'counting' ANY thing, EXACTLY, but the 'rate of change' is known as a 'count'.

[Will Bouwman]

WHY do you NOT tell us what 'absolute time' and 'time' means to you?

You should ask someone who believes in absolute time what they mean. As for time, I made it clear in the OP:

In mathematics, time takes on a life of its own - it becomes this abstract ‘thing’ we can add or subtract as easily as we might pour or store water in a jug. That flexibility is matched by our experience. We all have our perception of time and whether we feel time passing quickly or slowly depends on variables that are unique to each of us and every occasion. But however you feel time passing, the sun will set at exactly the time it was always going to, and that is because what we call time is determined by where the Sun is in the sky. A day is simply the Earth spinning until the Sun appears in the same place in the sky. That unit of time is not much good for tasks such as boiling an egg, so a day is divided into 24 hours, which in turn are divided into 60 minutes of 60 seconds.

Apparently you agree with me:

The 'rate' of the sun's movement in relation to a position on earth. We are NOT 'counting' ANY thing, EXACTLY, but the 'rate of change' is known as a 'count'.

[Age]

WHY do you NOT tell us what 'absolute time' and 'time' means to you?

You should ask someone who believes in absolute time what they mean.

Do you believe in 'absolute time'? And,

What do the words 'absolute time' even mean, or refer to, to you, EXACTLY?

As for time, I made it clear in the OP:

In mathematics, time takes on a life of its own - it becomes this abstract ‘thing’ we can add or subtract as easily as we might pour or store water in a jug. That flexibility is matched by our experience. We all have our perception of time and whether we feel time passing quickly or slowly depends on variables that are unique to each of us and every occasion. But however you feel time passing, the sun will set at exactly the time it was always going to, and that is because what we call time is determined by where the Sun is in the sky. A day is simply the Earth spinning until the Sun appears in the same place in the sky. That unit of time is not much good for tasks such as boiling an egg, so a day is divided into 24 hours, which in turn are divided into 60 minutes of 60 seconds.

Apparently you agree with me:

The 'rate' of the sun's movement in relation to a position on earth. We are NOT 'counting' ANY thing, EXACTLY, but the 'rate of change' is known as a 'count'.