- #1
AlfaEcosse
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Hi all,
I have recently been listening to one of Professor Richard Wolfson's physics lectures, and a question has occurred about an aspect of general relativity; that time 'slows down' in strongly curved spacetime.
In this particular lecture, he mentions an experiment done some years ago in a University stairwell, where one atomic clock was placed at the top (some 70-80' above ground level) of the stairwell and another at the bottom. After some time, the experiment showed a (fairly trivial) discrepancy between the two previously synchronised clocks. The clock at ground level had run 'more slowly' than the other due gravity being stronger.
My question is this; If I bought two of those relatively inexpensive clocks which take their time signal from the atomic clock at NPL in Cumbria, would this effect still occur if I tried to repeat that experiment. (I realize that the clocks would probably not ever show the difference as they only display, say 10ths of one second, and we're talking about differences of nanoseconds here) but in principle would this work?
Thanks
Ed.
p.s. apologies if I've used the wrong terminology or whatever, I don't have any formal grounding in physics but just have an interest in it as a sort of hobby.
I have recently been listening to one of Professor Richard Wolfson's physics lectures, and a question has occurred about an aspect of general relativity; that time 'slows down' in strongly curved spacetime.
In this particular lecture, he mentions an experiment done some years ago in a University stairwell, where one atomic clock was placed at the top (some 70-80' above ground level) of the stairwell and another at the bottom. After some time, the experiment showed a (fairly trivial) discrepancy between the two previously synchronised clocks. The clock at ground level had run 'more slowly' than the other due gravity being stronger.
My question is this; If I bought two of those relatively inexpensive clocks which take their time signal from the atomic clock at NPL in Cumbria, would this effect still occur if I tried to repeat that experiment. (I realize that the clocks would probably not ever show the difference as they only display, say 10ths of one second, and we're talking about differences of nanoseconds here) but in principle would this work?
Thanks
Ed.
p.s. apologies if I've used the wrong terminology or whatever, I don't have any formal grounding in physics but just have an interest in it as a sort of hobby.