I read an article about SR, and after alot of re-reading, I still don't comprehend.
My first question, it states that while moving at high speeds, time slows, but it doesn't say how or why, could someone please explain?
Secondly, it states that when you view something in motion from a reference fram in rest, it becomes contracted in the direction of the motion, but again, it doesn't really say how or why.
Finally, about the Twin Paradox. The article states that if two people, one standing on earth, the other flying away at 60% lightspeed, where the one flying away sends a message every hour, the one standing on earth receives a message every 2 hours. (I don't understand why he gets one every 2 hours, so if someone could explain that too, thanks.)
After 12 hours (and 12 messages) the one flying away turns around and flies back to earth, again sending a message every hour. Now the article states that at this point, the person on earth will have received 12 messages, so 24 hours would have elapsed. Is that right? It seems obviously wrong to me. If the person on earth received a message ever 2 hours, shouldn't he have received 6 messages by the time the second person turns around, and receive the other 6 while the other person was on the way back?
Please bear with me, I haven't studied physics or anything.