Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Experimental Verification of the ‘Clock-Paradox’ of Relativity

Nature volume 179, pages 35–36 (1957)Cite this article

Abstract

EINSTEIN'S theory of relativity predicts that if one of twin brothers leaves home in a space ship and spends a considerable amount of time travelling at high velocity with respect to his home inertial frame, then, when the traveller returns home, he will find himself physiologically younger than his stay-at-home brother, and his pocket watch will have performed correspondingly fewer revolutions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Møller, C., “The Theory of Relativity”, 49 (Oxf. Univ. Press, London, 1952).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Møller, C., “The Theory of Relativity”, 258 (Oxf. Univ. Press, London, 1952).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Tolman, R. C., “Relativity, Thermodynamics, and Cosmology”, 194 (Oxf. Univ. Press, London, 1934).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Dingle, H., Nature, 177, 782 (1956).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Møller, C., “The Theory of Relativity”, 31ff. (Oxf. Univ. Press, London, 1952).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. The possibility of using accelerator-produced π-mesons to verify the ‘clock-paradox prediction’ was pointed out by E. Martinelli and W. K. H. Panofsky, Phys. Rev., 77, 465 (1950).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Rossi, Hilberry, and Hoag, Phys. Rev., 57, 461 (1940). I thank Prof. Luis W. Alvarez for directing my attention to the cosmicray μ-meson experiments.

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rasetti, F., Phys. Rev., 60, 198 (1941).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Blackett, P. M. S., Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 159, 1 (1937).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ticho, H., Phys. Rev., 72, 255 (1947).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California

    FRANK S. CRAWFORD JUN.

Authors
  1. FRANK S. CRAWFORD JUN.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

CRAWFORD, F. Experimental Verification of the ‘Clock-Paradox’ of Relativity. Nature 179, 35–36 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/179035a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/179035a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing