Final answer:
The elapsed time varies for observers based on their motion and the gravitational influences acting on them. These scenarios involve the concepts of relative time, time dilation due to gravity (especially near a black hole), and everyday timekeeping.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question seems to arise from a variety of example scenarios, all related to the concept of relative time in physics. The first scenario, from a physics perspective, indicates that an astronaut perceives time slower compared to the earth due to the effect of gravity and velocity, which is quite an aspect of General and Special Relativity. The astronaut aged 2 years, whereas the earthbound sibling experiences a lapse of only about 0.07 years when viewed from the spaceship.
In the second scenario, the impact of time dilation near a black hole comes into play. Here, the astronaut aged about 2 weeks near the black hole, but due to the massive gravitational effect, about 2000 weeks or 40 years have passed on the Earth.
The third example is a more everyday observation of the elapsed time, where the friends took over five minutes to find a table at a campus restaurant.
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