Velma and Mort pass each other, in rocket ships, at a relative velocity of half of lightspeed. Velma has an ice cream cone which will melt in 5 minutes if not refrigerated. She removes her cone from the refrigerator, and allows it to melt. According to Mort, how long does it take for Velma's cone to melt?
A) less than 5 minutes
B) more than 5 minutes
C) 5 minutes
D) It could be either more than 5 minutes, or 5 minutes, depending on which observer is at rest.
E) It is impossible to answer this question, because such measurements of moving objects have no precise meaning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Due to time dilation in special relativity, Mort will observe Velma's time as moving slower, so the ice cream cone will take more than 5 minutes to melt according to Mort.

Velma and Mort Pass Each Other, in Rocket Ships, at a Relative