Time Dilation: 1 Hour=77 Hours - Can I Phone?

Mitchell Swan
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I was talking to my dad not long ago and he asked me an extremely valid question, so basically, the question is.
If I'm next to a supermassive black hole, and 1 hour for me is 77 hours on earth, and my dad rings me, bearing in mind you would an extremely good signal, but let's just say i answered, and we spoke for an hour(my time)he would of been speaking for 77 hours back on earth?
Please can someone give me an answer? (Is this a paradox)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
That is exactly what "and 1 hour for me is 77 hours on earth" means, yes.
 
  • Like
Likes Mitchell Swan
No, that is not a paradox. He would hear you talking very rapidly, you would hear him talking very slowly. (At a ratio of 77 hours to one hour, it would probably be very difficult for either of you to understand the other!)
 
Also, I expect what you say will be redshifted by that same factor, he will hear you speaking very very slowly in a truly deep voice - like playing a recording 77x slower than it was recorded.
 
  • Like
Likes Mitchell Swan
HallsofIvy said:
No, that is not a paradox. He would hear you talking very rapidly, you would hear him talking very slowly. (At a ratio of 77 hours to one hour, it would probably be very difficult for either of you to understand the other!)
no his dad will hear him talking very slowly.
 
Prashan Shan said:
no his dad will hear him talking very slowly.
No, HallsOfIvy is correct. This is gravitational time dilation. It is not symmetrical like that.
 
DaleSpam said:
HallsOfIvy is correct. This is gravitational time dilation. It is not symmetrical like that.

But his dad is the one who is distant from the hole, and whose clock is therefore running faster. So dad will see son greatly slowed down, and son will see dad greatly speeded up. There is indeed an asymmetry, but HallsOfIvy had its direction wrong.
 
Oops! I was getting who was where mixed up too. My apologies Prashan.
 
I recall seeing Peter Ustinov sped up on TV as a kid.
 
Back
Top