- #1
AcrylicAce
- 2
- 0
Hi,
I just started reading "The Elegant Universe" as an introduction to physics. Up to this point I thought I understood everything but now I get a to a part that doesn't make sense to me and was hoping someone could explain it.
If you have the book you can follow along with what I am talking about... at the bottom of page 74 and beginning of page 75 he talks about George and Gracie floating in space, each with large digital clocks attached to them. He also states there is a line attached to a nearby spaceship and then to the sun. As George pulls himself toward the sun Brian Greene states that his clock will go slower and slower the closer he gets to the sun. This seems contradictory to what has been said about time previously... the faster an object is moving the slower time goes. Because Gracie is farther away from the sun (takes her longer to make one orbit around the sun) then she is moving faster than George and so Gracie's time clock should be moving slower than George's.
If you do not have the book and don't understand what I am asking... basically I think what I am trying to understand is: How does gravity affect time?
I'm am not sure what it is that I do not understand but if someone could explain it to me I would really appreciate it. Like I said, I am very new to this so please explain in very general easy to understand terms.
Thanks,
AcrylicAce
I just started reading "The Elegant Universe" as an introduction to physics. Up to this point I thought I understood everything but now I get a to a part that doesn't make sense to me and was hoping someone could explain it.
If you have the book you can follow along with what I am talking about... at the bottom of page 74 and beginning of page 75 he talks about George and Gracie floating in space, each with large digital clocks attached to them. He also states there is a line attached to a nearby spaceship and then to the sun. As George pulls himself toward the sun Brian Greene states that his clock will go slower and slower the closer he gets to the sun. This seems contradictory to what has been said about time previously... the faster an object is moving the slower time goes. Because Gracie is farther away from the sun (takes her longer to make one orbit around the sun) then she is moving faster than George and so Gracie's time clock should be moving slower than George's.
If you do not have the book and don't understand what I am asking... basically I think what I am trying to understand is: How does gravity affect time?
I'm am not sure what it is that I do not understand but if someone could explain it to me I would really appreciate it. Like I said, I am very new to this so please explain in very general easy to understand terms.
Thanks,
AcrylicAce