As in, if I'm accelerating away from the Earth, then does the Earth also appear to be accelerating away from me at the same rate? Or is there something to "break" this type of symmetry?
My question is inspired by the below discussions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox#Resolution_of_the_paradox_in_special_relativity
Answer
Kinematically, yes. In terms of describing the positions of objects, it is equivalent to say "A is accelerating away from B" and "B is accelerating away from A". However, it is an observed fact that the universe treats these two situations differently. A and B can check whether they feel artificial gravity in their reference frame. If so, it's accelerating. As far as I know, the "way the universe decides" to break this symmetry is a topic of continuing speculation.
Check out some related questions:
Is acceleration an absolute quantity?
Is rotational motion relative to space?
Acceleration in special relativity
What if the universe is rotating as a whole?
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