Time Dilation: The Light Clock (Special Relativity)

Theory

Light has the same speed $c$ for every observer. In the moving clock, the photon travels a longer diagonal path, so each tick takes longer: $\Delta t=\gamma \Delta t_0$, with $\gamma =1/\sqrt{1-v^2/c^2}$.

What to observe

• At v = 0.6c, γ = 1.25: the moving clock ticks 4 times while the stationary one ticks 5.

Try this

• Push v/c to 0.99 (γ ≈ 7).

Also available in: Dilatação do tempo: o relógio de luz (relatividade restrita) (Português) · Dilatación del tiempo: el reloj de luz (relatividad especial) (Español)