According to Einstein's theory of relativity, time dilation occurs when an object is moving at a high velocity relative to another object. This phenomenon states that time appears to slow down for the moving object compared to a stationary observer.
Einstein's theory of relativity is based on the principle that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant for all observers, regardless of their relative motion. This principle led to the development of the theory of special relativity, which includes the concept of time dilation.
Special relativity states that as an object's velocity approaches the speed of light, its time slows down relative to a stationary observer. This means that clocks on a moving object will tick slower compared to clocks in a stationary reference frame. The faster the object moves, the more pronounced the time dilation effect becomes.
This phenomenon has been supported by experimental evidence. One of the most famous experiments confirming time dilation is the Hafele-Keating experiment conducted in 1971. In this experiment, atomic clocks were flown on commercial airliners traveling in opposite directions around the Earth. The clocks on the planes were compared to synchronized clocks on the ground, and it was found that the clocks on the planes had indeed experienced a time dilation effect, consistent with the predictions of special relativity.
Furthermore, many other experiments have verified the predictions of time dilation, such as particle accelerators and satellite-based systems like the Global Positioning System (GPS). These experiments have confirmed that time dilation is a real effect and is an essential aspect of Einstein's theory of relativity.