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Twins Adam and Becky, who are 19.0 years of age, leave Earth and travel to a dis

ID: 1268029 • Letter: T

Question

Twins Adam and Becky, who are 19.0 years of age, leave Earth and travel to a distant planet 12.0 light years away. Assume that the planet and earth are at rest to each other. The twins depart at the same time on different spaceships. Adam travels at a speed of 0.831c, and Becky travels at 0.523c.   When they next meet, who is older and by how much?

After calculating I received the answer that they are the same age once they finally meet again since Adam must wait for Becky to finish her travels which takes a difference of 8.5 years after calculations...doesnt seem right. Looking for a second opinion.

Explanation / Answer

Let:
d = distance to planet (= 12.0 light years)
Va = Adam's speed (0.831c)
Vb = Becky's speed (0.523c)

Clearly Adam arrives first (because he's going faster). From earth's point of view, it takes Adam this long to get there:

Ta = d/Va

But Adam's time is dilated, so the amount of travel time Adam experiences ("Ta-prime") is:

Ta? = Ta?(1?(Va/c)

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