- #1
Buckethead
Gold Member
- 560
- 38
I'm sure the answer to this is obvious, but I'm at a loss. In the Hafele and Keating experiment where atomic clocks are flown east and west and compared to a stationary clock the eastbound clock lost 59 ns and the westbound clock gained 273 ns.
My question is that if both eastbound and westbound flights flew the same speed relative to the clock on the Earth (which is rotating with the earth), why were the delta times not the same for both east and west flights. It seems if the reference clock were just sitting in space and not rotating with the Earth then of course the two times would be differerent, but with the reference clock on the ground rotating with the earth, shouldn't the delta times be the same for both east and west flights?
My question is that if both eastbound and westbound flights flew the same speed relative to the clock on the Earth (which is rotating with the earth), why were the delta times not the same for both east and west flights. It seems if the reference clock were just sitting in space and not rotating with the Earth then of course the two times would be differerent, but with the reference clock on the ground rotating with the earth, shouldn't the delta times be the same for both east and west flights?