2006-08-21 07:20:56 · 7 answers · asked by swapnil t 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The flow of time is relative to an observer on the ground is different for an observer at higher altitudes. The reason is that gravity curves spacetime. The stronger the gravitational field, the stronger the curvature. Closer to the ground, gravity is stronger than at a higher altitude (although the effect this has on time is extremely tiny). Therefore, time flows differently at different heights. I believe it's slower for an observer on the ground if I remember correctly.
2006-08-21 07:30:43 · answer #1 · answered by Davon 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Neither time nor space is absolute. Only spacetime is absolute. Research Einstein's Special theory, not General. The closer to the center of a gravity well, the more time and space are curved or warped. A clock on the top of Mt Everest would measure the rate of time as passing slower than an exactly similar clock would measure the rate of time at its base--yes, which would also mean a similar clock at the bottom of the ocean [closer to the center of the earth] would measure the rate there differently.
It is an extrapolation of the fact that the speed of light is a constant. The equation to determine speed is:
speed = distance [space] divided by time. Well, if speed is referring to c [or the speed of light in a vacuum], then the variable quanta have to be both time and space.
2006-08-21 07:34:52 · answer #2 · answered by quntmphys238 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hi. Great question! Yes, time does change with altitude/gravity. You need to look at the concept of a "gravity well".
2006-08-21 07:31:01 · answer #3 · answered by Cirric 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Time is the same for you, locally, anywhere. However if you were to sit atop Mt. Everest and watch the clock of someone down in the valley, that clock would appear to be moving more slowly than yours.
One way to understand this phenomenon is to use the frequency of light itself as a clock (the ticking is just very fast). A photon having to climb out of the gravity well must expend energy to do so. The energy can come from nowhere than the frequency of the photon, as photons have no rest mass.
Since this clock behaves this way, ANY clock must behave this way. Otherwise we'd have two different kinds of "time" going on. So valley clocks appear slow as compared to mountain clocks. Note that, unlike the Lorentz time dilation of uniform relative motion, this effect is not symmetric. Reversing cases, the observer in the valley sees the mountain clock run fast. This is because the two observers are not equivalent: they have measurably different gravitational accelerations.
2006-08-21 07:58:08 · answer #4 · answered by Benjamin N 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes. The stronger the gravitational field the slower time goes. This is a consequence of General Relativity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity
(Special Relativity deals with the effects of relative motion between observers, General adds the impact of gravity)
2006-08-21 07:37:54 · answer #5 · answered by kevinngunn 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
no to altitude and gravity
as stated it slows down the faster you are going...
the idea is rooted in relativity... if you look it up on wikipedia or in other resources you can probably find some nice explainations/examples
2006-08-21 07:31:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
time changes with speed, it slows down the faster u go... reason behind this... wlel... i have forgot :P
2006-08-21 07:26:50 · answer #7 · answered by WhiteHat 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋