Time Dilation: Could It Kill You?

[Dres]

Here I am again with another question about black holes. However, this isn't so much about black holes as it is about their effects. As you may/may not already know, black holes are so massive that time dilation near them is extreme, to the point the universe ends as you reach the event horizon. Also, of course, the closer you get to the black hole, the more time is dilated for an observer. Now my question is, is there ever a point where small differences (think about a foot or two) have significant differences in time dilation? This would mean that possibly different parts of your body would age with considerably different rates, with stuff happening like (if you fell head first) the cells in your legs dying so quickly that your legs decay and other fun stuff . Note: This is a super-massive black hole, so you wont get spaghettified any time soon.

[Skyler4856]

No, the gradient drop-off is pretty tame, and besides, every point on the human body would experience the surrounding universe at a rate consistent with temporal dilation experienced by the aforementioned point...

[Dres]

OK, I can see that it wouldn't be too extreme. Although, as this is a thought experiment mostly, what if it could actually happen? What would occur to a body crossing different states of dilated time? (ANY body, I know, its a new idea ) Also, though every point on the human body would observe the universe according to their respective dilation's, they would also observe other points on the body as going with a different rate, due to a different level of time dilation, if they could observe anything. I have a feeling that that would be REALLY weird, if it could actually happen.

[Rakaydos]

You'll physically spaghettify before you run into temporal gradient issues.

[Dres]

Ummmmmmmmm, read the entire post please man... And maybe the recent development...

Edited January 20, 2015 by Dres

[Bill Phil]

Well, our feet age slower than our heads on Earth.

It really depends on the situation though, if you fall in head first, your head is aging slower than your feat, and vice versa.

[Dres]

Yeah, I just wanted to know if the effects could be taken to the EXTREME, and if so what it would be like, for both a person and an inanimate body i.e. a giant metal pole with different amounts of dilation all along it.

[Skyler4856]

Also, though every point on the human body would observe the universe according to their respective dilation's, they would also observe other points on the body as going with a different rate, due to a different level of time dilation, if they could observe anything. I have a feeling that that would be REALLY weird, if it could actually happen.

Again, maybe Im beating a dead horse, but the relays would be delayed by the respective time dilation..

[Dres]

Clarify, please. Do you mean the nerve relays going through the body? If you do, I don't really see a problem. Are you saying that you would experience every part of your body as if every part had the same rate of time? Even though you would see it slower. I just need explanation. I am personally kind of confused about this .

[Meecrob]

I think he is referring to how everything propagates at the speed of light. Your nerves transmit signals as fast as light travels to your eyes, so your feet could have been ripped off hours ago, but your senses have not "sensed" that yet due to time dilation.

[Newt]

I think he is referring to how everything propagates at the speed of light. Your nerves transmit signals as fast as light travels to your eyes, so your feet could have been ripped off hours ago, but your senses have not "sensed" that yet due to time dilation.

Nerves communicate fast, but way slower than the speed of light.

[Meecrob]

You are correct. Nerve impulses travel much slower than the speed of light. Thanks for the reality check, its been a long day.

A question of my own:

This would mean that possibly different parts of your body would age with considerably different rates, with stuff happening like (if you fell head first) the cells in your legs dying so quickly that your legs decay and other fun stuff .

I'm no biologist by any stretch of the means, but could time dilation in any way allow the human body to operate in different states of time dilation simultaneously? In a way solving it's own problem? I'm thinking such as bloodflow and muscle actuation for organs etc. or would it all run at the brain's pace?

[Newt]

It seems like parts of it would be working differently; your heart would start pumping faster/slower than your brain. Blood would flow more slowly/quickly depending on orientation. Probably, it seems to me, you might suffocate, or fall unconscious, or have a stroke, who knows, just because your brain is probably not getting the blood and air it needs at the correct rate.

[Meecrob]

I considered that and think it to be the most likely scenario. What I was asking was that because your heart and lungs are traveling faster (relativistically) than your brain, could they operate at a different speed than your brain, but due to time dilation provide the same amount of blood flow/oxygen for example?

Edit: Or is it more like a divide by zero where our understanding breaks down?

Edited January 20, 2015 by Meecrob

[Newt]

Oh. Hmmm. Well.

I am seeing it mostly thus (after trying a complex and weird way of looking at it that did not work):

Say your head is the slowest, and your feet the fastest. Your feet will feel more time than your heart/lungs, so your heart rate slows down a good deal from their view. The blood coming into that region, and going out from it, corresponds to the upper body's time, not their own time, so if the feet see 10bpm heart rate, they will get maybe a sixth of what they expect, bloodwise.

Likewise, the head will see maybe 80bpm, (just a rough guess around a 60bpm normalish heart rate. Probably it will be abnormally high considering the circumstances (unless your name is Jebidiah)). This would make it so that the brain gets more blood passing through it. The middle heart region maybe should get good flow rates, but it will be probably extra oxygen depraved or enriched based on how fast it is going elsewhere. Your heart will also be processing blood faster than your lungs should receive it. Depending on the circumstances that may be able to be overcome.

Does this make sense? Maybe I too tired, am.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Newt
typo

[Hannu]

OK, I can see that it wouldn't be too extreme. Although, as this is a thought experiment mostly, what if it could actually happen? What would occur to a body crossing different states of dilated time? (ANY body, I know, its a new idea ) Also, though every point on the human body would observe the universe according to their respective dilation's, they would also observe other points on the body as going with a different rate, due to a different level of time dilation, if they could observe anything. I have a feeling that that would be REALLY weird, if it could actually happen.

Changing of some single laws in physics lead always to contradictions. Changes in time is tied to other physical things in general relativity. If you change just time and neglect other things you can lose conservation laws and many other very basic properties of our world. To tell exactly you should define exact assumptions and calculate. If you just neglect things probably you get answers that some part of your body responds slowly or "feels odd". And if dilatation is high, you die. Human body is very sensitive system.

But what happened to energy, momentum etc. will be hard thing and it would probably change everything, if it was tried to calculate from some assumptions. Overall energy scales in general relativity is very high. For example if blood would disappear at some rate comparable to flow in veins, that would cause enormous energy imbalance. Would that energy just disappear or would initial assumptions of our modified physics lead to some kind of energy conversion? If some strange process releases thermal power of, for example, F1 rocket engine in you body, I think that you have not much time to analyze feelings. Or if your heart had to work at that power to maintain blood circulation would be as fatal.

[Dres]

Yeah, so so far it seems apparent that you would most likely die... Good to know...