Re: OT: Relativity misunderstood

[Ted Dennison<dennison@telepath.com>]

In article <3B167715.AA497455@ftw.rsc.raytheon.com>, Wes Groleau says...
>
>2. IF you meet the conditions of special relativity,
>   the theory predicts that EACH observer will see
>   the OTHER'S clock as faster by the same amount.
>   So if you somehow found a way to get back together
>   in spite of the constant relative velocity condition,
>   you would say, "Hey, your clock is several Megaseconds
>   fast." and he/she would respond, "No, YOUR clock is 
>   several Megaseconds fast."

The way I remember Carl Sagan explaining this on Cosomos way back when, this is
true only as long as you are still going at those different relative speeds.
Once one of you applies acceleration in some direction to make up the speed
difference, the "looks the same to each observer" aspect of relativity is off.
Thus when you are done accelerating (decelerating) so that you and the other
observer are at the same relative speed, you will indeed appear to have aged
very little compared to them.

That's the way I remember the explanation going, anway. (IANAP)

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