Space is bound by gravity, is time also bound by gravity?

Question

Are there pockets of faster moving time and slower mov ing time in the un iverse. In other words, is the speed of light slowing down as the universe continues to expand?

Answer 1

Dear Zorro:

We have no idea. There is certainly no evidence to support such a claim.

Maybe you should study up on "String Theory" and "Membranes". Try this website.

Answer 2

There's no scientific evidence that the speed of light is slowing down (..or speeding up..) The speed of light is not 'bound' by gravity. Gravity does affect how long it might take for light to get from one point to another because gravity is a distortion of space caused by the presence of mass, but the velocity of light making such a trip would remain the same. Essentially what I'm saying is that the straight line distance between point 'A' and point 'B' might be 20 light years. But if some strong source of gravity is placed somewhere along that path the geometry of space will be changed. Since light must follow whatever the shape of space is, then it would take maybe 22 light years for it to get from 'A' to 'B'

Answer 3

Gravity is a manifestation of space in the presence of matter.
The space-time pulse that initiated this universe is unvarying except for a slight quantum effect that allows the eventual emergence of matter and the universe we see to-day.
Time dilation as postulated by Einstein only shows up to any significant degree at about 99% the speed of light,.
This exists in a realm that never has any significant effect on the evolution of the universe except the quantum effect which gives the universe it's substance.

Answer 4

Hello Zorro....
Ever heard of gravity lensing...sure you have !!!!... I am sure that all galaxies have a black hole in them or so i have been taught ....when you encounter that ever popular "black hole" think of it as you would a tennis net with a bowling ball stuck in it as you get nearer the mass of the object "black hole " .....Time as well as light and all other things just speed up..Or should i say get gobbled up. Never the less the lensing effect can be mathematically calculated based on the size of the "black hole". In fact as our own earth spins it to has a time warp lensing (this lensing is like an eyeglass lens) effect. There is another experiment out there with some really good magnets that in fact polarize the flux lines and effectively create a lensing moment. I hope the spelling is right here but look for the Meissner Effect on flux at or near absolute zero....When we figure out what to do with all this and how it can be applied I'll write you back......Please don't set up by your computer waiting it may take awhile......Good luck from the E!!!!

Answer 5

A fundamental implication of Einstein's relativity is that no matter where you are or how fast you're going, you will always measure the speed of light to be same number. Even if you're going 99% the speed of light, time will slow down for you just enough that light still appears (from your point of view) to be zooming away at 186,000 miles per second.

As for pockets of fast and slow time, time moves the same for everything, unless it's traveling very fast (a significant fraction of the speed of light). The closer an object's speed gets to the speed of light, the slower time will pass for that object. However, since thought itself will slow down, too, nobody onboard a near-lightspeed spaceship would notice any difference (unless they looked out the windows and saw the blue- and red-shifted starlight).

Answer 6

Einstein found that time is effected by speed. He also believed that time stopped when you reached the speed of light. Some people think that if you could find a way to go faster then the speed of light then you could actually arrive somewhere before you left. All very interesting stuff that you and I will never live long enough to see proved right or wrong

Answer 7

In a sense. Within the general theory of relativity, time runs differently at different levels of gravitational potential (they don't use the term gravitational potential, but the idea is that the farther away you get from mass, the higher the potential). So if you are very close to a black hole, you are at low potential.

And the lower the potential, the slower time runs for you; in the sense that as you look out at the universe, it will be changing at a faster rate. And when the rest of the universe looks at you, they will see that you seem to be slowing down.

Answer 8

The speed of light is a constant speed unless affected by outside forces (gravity, magnetic waves, etc).

In regards to time, as an object approaches the speed of light two things happen.... distances shrink and time slows down. A ship travels a shorter distance between planets as it approaches light speed as distance is relative to time (which is why time slows down for the occupant).

So, anything moving at/near the speed of light is actually moving at a slower time than you. For more info, I recommend reading up on Einstein's Velocity Addition Formula...

Answer 9

Sorry Ziggy. The speed of light in a vaccum is constant. The medium through which light travels does effect it's speed, but not forces because light has no mass for a force to work on. It can be bent by lenses (including gravitational ones) but it is not slowed down by forces. Light trapped in a Black hole still travels at light spped. It's just that escape velocity at a black hole is greater than 186,000 miles/second.

Gravitational field do warp space/time, so time is realative to your frame of reference, speed wise, as weel as gravitational wells.

Answer 10

Some scientists believe that we are in a dimension (time) that is being held in it's current dirrection via gravity.
Look up String Theory and read Stephen Hawking's a Brief History of Time that book will give you all the answers to any astronomy question you might have.

Answer 11

Ouch...

go read A Brief History of Time by Professor Stephen Hawking.