Time Dilation The time lapse between two events is not invariant from one observer to another, but is dependent on the relative speeds of the observers' reference frames (e.g., the twin paradox which concerns a twin who flies off in a spaceship traveling near the speed of light and returns to discover that his or her twin sibling has aged much more). Suppose a clock is at rest in the unprimed system S . The location of the clock on two different ticks is then characterized by Δ x = 0 . To find the relation between the times between these ticks as measured in both systems, the first equation can be used to find: {\displaystyle \Delta t'=\gamma \,\Delta t} for events satisfying {\displaystyle \Delta x=0\ .} This shows that the time (Δ t ′) between the two ticks as seen in the frame in which the clock is moving ( S ′), is longer than the time (Δ t ) between these ticks as measured in the rest frame of the clock ( S ). Time dilation explains a nu
Special relativity is the generally accepted and experimentally well-confirmed physical theory regarding the relationship between space and time. In Albert Einstein's original pedagogical treatment, it is based on two postulates: The laws of physics are invariant (i.e. identical) in all inertial systems (non-accelerating frames of reference). The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of the motion of the light source. It was originally proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". The inconsistency of Newtonian mechanics with Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism and the lack of experimental confirmation for a hypothesized luminiferous aether led to the development of special relativity, which corrects mechanics to handle situations involving motions at a significant fraction of the speed of light (known as relativistic velocities ). As of today, special relativity is the most accurate