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Einstein's twin paradox explained - Amber Stuver

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Our solar system The Big Questions The physics of the universe

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On their 20th birthday, identical twin astronauts volunteer for an experiment. Terra will remain on Earth, while Stella will board a spaceship. Stella’s ship will travel to visit a star that is 10 light-years away, then return to Earth. As they prepare to part ways, the twins wonder what will happen when they’re reunited. Who will be older? Amber Stuver investigates the “Twin Paradox.”

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If Stella measures Terra’s time passing slower than her own, Terra will see Stella’s time passing faster than her own. Stella will always measure her time passing at the same rate regardless of how fast she is moving. As long as Stella is moving in an inertial reference frame, she can claim that she is not moving and everything else is moving around her. The distance Stella measures between her origin and destination appears to decrease as her speed increases.
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About Space Ed

Space Ed helps you untangle the mysteries of space with the universe’s best videos on everything from Einstein's theory of relativity to what it would take to live on Mars. Brush up on the science, philosophy and mystery of space, because the fabric of the universe is the same fabric that connects us all.

Meet The Creators

  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Educator Amber L. Stuver
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-checker Brian Gutierrez
  • Sound Designer André Aires
  • Producer Tom Knight
  • Music AIM Creative Studios
  • Animation Mulligan Studio, Ricardo Coelho
  • Character Designer Rui Almeida
  • 3D Animator Hélder Vasconcelos

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