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An astronaut who was 30 years old left to explore the galaxy in 2020, on a spaceship

travelling at 2.5 x 108 m/s. He is expected to return in 2060. About how old will he appear to be?

User Kamranicus
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2 Answers

6 votes

Answer:

70 years old

Step-by-step explanation:

User Diego Alves
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5.3k points
7 votes

Answer:

52.1 years .

Step-by-step explanation:

The time interval from 2020 to 2060 = 40 years. This will be the time as measured by an observer on earth.

For the person who is travelling at v = 2.5 × 10⁸ m/s,

t =40 √(1 - [(2.5 × 10⁸)² / (3.0 × 10⁸)²] = 22.1 years

Actual age for his counterpart on earth would be 30 + 40 = 70 years,

But space travel makes the astronaut to age slowly (time dilation) . So he appears to be 30 + 22.1 = 52.1 years old.

User Topological Sort
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