Minor changes in gravity effecting time?

Question

I've read some answers on here that mention that clocks on the top floor of a skyscraper will run faster than those on the ground floor due to less gravity.

Is there any truth in this? It sounds more like an urban myth.

And if there's truth in it, is it due to an effect on time or simply because the change in gravity allows the clock to move faster either by higher quartz resonance or other means?

Answer 1

Mass accelerates more quickly in an intense gravitational field as compared to one that is weak. The difference is in the time of acceleration. On the surface of our planet, at sea level, a person accelerates at approx. 22 mph., but at the 0.717 mile location from the center of our planet a person would be accelerating at a speed 25 mph less than that of the speed of light. Even though the mass does not physically move, the same physical properties exist as one moving in outer space at that speed.

The force of gravity is an energy factor, as found in the concept of c2 = E/m. It is a product of a mass energy (heat) relationship. This, of course, is obvious in that gravity performs work.

Answer 2

The same is true of clocks in airplanes. THis has been tested directly with atomic clocks. A clock in an airplane going 500 mph will gradually be behind a clock on the surface of the earth. As for the clock in a building there are 2 factors. One is the slightly faster motion since a higher clock has a greater radius of motion compared to the center of the earth. The other is lower gravity given it's distance from the center of the earth's mass.

Answer 3

Yes ,if you apply the Newtonian concept of acceleration you can calculate the relative time changes in space gravity field.

Therfore according to Newton -Keppler law of angular momenturm the Time is inversely proportional to acceleration.
Time squared =lenght of pendulum divided by the value of acceleration where the clock is located.

So the further away you move from the center of mass of the earth the smaller the acceleration. The small the acceleration the longer the time it takes for the pendulum to swing . that means a slower time.

Its not a myth. It is needed to understand what time is. Time is a quantity that determines how fast a process takes place.
So when we use a time machine such as the pendulum to measure time the process is related to the gravity field density of space.
So time and gravity field intensity are related.
Time is relative and space density is also relative.

The time dialation formula of Einstein is not quite understood in general.
In that formula the inertial time equals to the rest time mulitiplied by the lorentz coeffient called gamma.

It only applies to inertial oscilations of time.
so inertial time is not calculated the same way as the above gravitational time which is acceleration dependent.

Inertial time is a time independent of the gravitational field of the gravitational mass.
Therefore Inertial time and non inertial time descriptions cannot be equated the same way.

Answer 4

no it's true

though between top and bottom floor of a skyscraper you'd have very small differences! ;-)

actually a good example for this is the satellite-based navigation system, GPS. For good precision the clocks need to be synchronised within about a factor of 10E-13.

but the satellites' clocks are affected by:
- the relativistic effects due to their speed of about 4 kilometers per second. These introduce relatvei variations of about 10E-10
- and the gravitational effects, from general relativity, also affect the satellites' clocks, by about 5x more

and to make it worse, for GPS you've also got Doppler effects (the effect that make the sound of a car engine seem higher when it is coming towards you, and lower when going away).


Anyway, the answer to your questions is:
- YES, variations in gravitational field of the Earth WILL affect clocks
- BUT, the effects between top and bottom of even a very high building would be very, very small.

hope this helps

Answer 5

General relativity does indeed predict that clocks in a gravitational field will run more slowly than ones in no field or one that is weaker. Since the ground floor is closer to the center of the earth, it will be in a slightly higher gravitational field and will indeed run a bit slower.

Answer 6

a very interesting question. really yes it differs.
but you should know that it's true for only old clocks with pandol.
T=2*3/14*squre of(l/g)
T is the time that the pandol of the clock will go and return .and you also know if T increases the clock will run slower and if it reduces the clock will run faster.
and as you know g=GMm/r^2
so as you go up r will increase and therfore g will reduse.
as g reduces t will increase and because of this a clock in everest runs slower. ( i mean old clocks that works with pandol)
so in a skyscraper the clock will run slower not faster.

Answer 7

If we provide you the flexibility to face up to the nice and cozy temperature and rigidity there, you may want to locate no internet gravity from the earth, in view that there might want to be equivalent parts of the earth exerting gravity on you from all aspects. you may want to, besides the undeniable fact that, experience the gravity of the moon. to locate an section without internet gravity from both the earth or the moon, you've to flow to the middle of gravity of the earth-moon device, it really is positioned someplace between the middle of the earth and the point on the earth's floor right away below the moon.

Answer 8

Yes this is true. Gravity and Space Time are related. If you were to live on Mars you would live for 1/3 longer than you would on Earth. Why? Mars is only 2/3 the size of earth. However if you were to live on Jupiter you wouldn't live for more than a year (concidering it is 300 something x's the mass of earth!

Gravity is also the reason why time travel is possible...

Answer 9

is completely true.But the diference in speed is very little as the diference in gravity is very little also.