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Mike2220 t1_j21scx2 wrote

Reply to comment by left_lane_camper in Is time dilation similar to frame lagging on a computer? by Amazing_Ability504

>If you're running by me at 0.995c, we will each calculate the other's watch as running ten times slower while seeing our own working fine, and that means we will disagree on whose watch is running slow

In this theoretical scenario, if you were to then compare watches while stationary to each other after, wouldn't it be clear to see which watch ran slow?

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left_lane_camper t1_j21szia wrote

In order to do that you would have to break the symmetry somehow. One or both of you would need to change frames either by proper acceleration or by moving near a large mass.

In the case that only one person spends time in two reference frames, the latter will have had less time pass by their clock than the stationary person.

If you accelerate in a symmetric fashion — you both turn around at the same time and in the same way and head back together), you will find that you both actually agree on how much time has passed.

More fundamentally, there is no absolute speed whatsoever. Both of you are equally justified in saying you are stationary and the other one is moving at 0.995c and the universe will agree with both of you.

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