Time Dilation:
A Simulation

How it works

1. Adjust the spaceship speed using the slider. This lets you set the velocity/speed of the spacecraft as a fraction of the speed of light, c.

2. The "Lorentz Factor" is a quantity that determines the degree of time dilation we observe at a set speed. This updates as you change the speed of the spacecraft.

3. The clock featured on the moving spacecraft can be seen to slow/speed up as the speed of the spacecraft changes, in accordance with time dilation. 

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About

Time passes more slowly for objects moving close to the speed of light compared to stationary observers. At slow speeds, time dilation is minimal and time seems to pass at the same rate for those travelling in space and those that remain stationary on Earth. As the spacecraft approaches fast speeds (close to the speed of light, c), time dilation increases and time passes much slower for those in the moving spacecraft than for those stationary on Earth. This explains why those travelling at fast speeds in space age slower than those still on Earth.