Why does time dilation only affect GPS satellites in one direction?

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Time dilation affects GPS satellites due to relativistic effects, primarily from their speed and gravitational influence. While satellites are programmed to account for these effects based on an Earth-centered coordinate system, they do not calculate time from a perspective where they are at rest. This leads to the conclusion that Earth clocks do not appear to run slower from the satellite's point of view, as the calculations are not made in a satellite-centered frame. The adjustments made to satellite clocks account for the differences in time dilation caused by their velocity and gravitational effects, ensuring synchronization with Earth-based systems. Understanding these principles clarifies why reciprocal time dilation does not apply in this context.
  • #31
cfrogue said:
The Sagnac effect on moving ground-based receivers must still be considered

http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2003-1/

Chapter 5
That's because they are using light signals to communicate. But if aren't worried about practical details of communication and just want to know how fast different clocks are ticking relative to a give frame of reference, we don't have to consider it.
 
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  • #32
cfrogue said:
Yea, can you explain the v in the GPS pre-programming?

Is this a relative v or not.

If it is a relative v, then why does reciprocal time dilation not apply.
What do you mean by "relative"? It is a v defined in relation to a single coordinate Earth-centered system, so you can say it's defined "relative" to that coordinate system, but it's not "relative" in the sense that we are considering more than one frame of reference, so there are no issues of reciprocity. Similarly, in SR if you are traveling at 0.8c relative to me, and I am only using my inertial rest frame to define velocity and clock rates, then there is no issue of reciprocity here either--in this single frame, it is unambiguously true that I am at rest and you are moving at 0.8c, and that my clock is ticking at a normal rate while yours is slowed down by a factor of 0.6 (and if you also use my rest frame to do your calculations, you will agree--remember that any observer can calculate things from the perspective of any frame they like). Reciprocity would only enter into things if we wanted to also look at things from the perspective of your rest frame, but I have no obligation to do this, I can address any coordinate-invariant physical question using only my own rest frame to do the calculations.

Earlier I asked this question:
Do you understand that in relativity you are never required to use multiple frames, you can always get the answer to any physical question you're interested in using a single frame, even if the situation you are analyzing involves objects which are not at rest in that frame?
Your response was "Yea, this is fine", but the fact that you continue to talk as though we are somehow obligated to consider the issue of reciprocity in different frames (and it's not entirely clear you understand that 'reciprocity' only applies when we consider multiple frames as opposed to just one) suggests you aren't actually totally fine with this. So please tell me again, do you understand that there is never a requirement to use multiple frames in relativity, and that it only makes sense to talk about "reciprocity" in things like time dilation when we are comparing multiple frames?

Finally, note that even when we do deal with multiple frames, the idea that time dilation should be reciprocal only applies if both frames are inertial ones (the time dilation factor \sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2} is only meant to apply in inertial frames). If you have an inertial observer A with a non-inertial observer B orbiting around him, and you consider both the inertial frame where A is at rest and the non-inertial rotating frame where B is at rest, then both frames will agree that B's clock is ticking slower than A's.
 
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  • #33
In SR if two observers are moving away from each other with constant velocity, they each measure the clock of the other observer to be running slower than their own clock. This is the reciprocity that SR leads us to expect and under conditions of constant velocity there is no way to determine which observer's clock is "really" running slower. However, if one of the observers accelerates to turn around and head back towards the other observer, the reciprocity is broken and there is no argument about which clock was actually running slower when they get back together and compare clocks side by side. It is the same for orbiting clocks or particles in a magnetic storage ring. The circular motion is a form of acceleration and the reciprocity breaks down.
 
  • #34
kev said:
In SR if two observers are moving away from each other with constant velocity, they each measure the clock of the other observer to be running slower than their own clock.
That's true if each observer uses their own rest frame to make calculations, which is what is normally assumed in SR problems. However, part of what seems to be confusing cfrogue is that there is nothing that forces one to use one's own rest frame to make calculations, this is purely a matter of convention--in SR both observers could agree to use a single inertial frame to make calculations, in which case they would both agree whose clock is running slower, so there is no issue of "reciprocity" here. Something just like this is going on with the GPS system, where all the satellites are using a single Earth-centered coordinate system to make calculations regardless of their own state of motion.
 
  • #35
It might be instructive to work out the problem using GR in the Earth centered frame, using the Schwarzschild metric, for a circular orbit at the equator. This will also show that the usual SR velocity time dilation formula is only an approximation.

It might be helpful to recap how we get the equation for time dilation in SR, first.The time dilation that we wish to solve for is just
<br /> \frac{dt}{d\tau}<br />

In SR, we know the flat space-time metric is

c^2 d\tau^2 = c^2 dt^2 - dx^2 - dy^2 - dz^2

dividing both sides by dt^2, we get

c^2 \left( \frac{d\tau}{dt} \right) ^2 = c^2 - \left( \frac{dx}{dt} \right)^2 - \left( \frac{dy}{dt} \right)^2 - \left( \frac{dz}{dt} \right)^2

Solving for d\tau / dt we get

\frac{d\tau}{dt} = \sqrt{1 - \frac{ \left(\frac{dx}{dt}\right)^2 + \left(\frac{dy}{dt}\right)^2 + \left(\frac{dz}{dt}\right)^2 }{c^2} }<br />

We recognize this as
\frac{d\tau}{dt} = \sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}}

but since we want the reciprocal, dt / d\tau, we get the usual relation

\frac{dt}{d\tau} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}}}

Now, we just need to repeat this for the case of a gravitating body. We'll use Schwarzschild coordinates to get the curved space-time metric, rather than the flat metric we used in SR.

Note that in Schwarzschild coordinates, \theta is Pi at the equator, and \phi varies from 0 to 2Pi as it sweeps out the orbit. r is constant for a circular orbit.

So we write

<br /> c^2 d\tau^2 = g_{tt} dt^2 + g_{rr} dr^2 + g_{\theta\theta} d\theta^2 + g_{\phi\phi} d\phi^2<br />

dividing both sides of the equation by dt^2, and dropping some terms that we know to be zero, such as \frac{dr}{dt} and \frac{d\theta}{dt}, we get

<br /> c^2 \left( \frac{d\tau}{dt} \right)^2 = g_{tt} + g_{\phi\phi}\left(\frac{d\phi}{dt}\right)^2<br />

We know that for the schwarzschild metric

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schwarzschild_metric&oldid=325313722

g_{tt} = \left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)^2\,c^2

and we know that

g_{\phi\phi} = -r^2

as sin\phi is one.

Putting this together we get
<br /> c^2 \left( \frac{d\tau}{dt} \right)^2 = c^2 \, \left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)^2\ - r^2 \left(\frac{d\phi}{dt}\right)^2<br />

This can be rewritten as

<br /> \frac{d\tau}{dt}= \sqrt{ g_{tt} } \sqrt{1 - \frac{1}{g_{tt}} \left( \frac{r \frac{d\theta}{dt} }{c} \right)^2<br />This is almost in the form of the product of the GR and SR time dilation but not quite exactly.

Note that if we set d\phi / dt to zero, we see that the time dilation is just the gravitational time dilation

<br /> \frac{dt}{d\tau}= \frac{1}{\sqrt{g_{tt}}}

But because the gravitational time dilation is so nearly unity, it provides only a tiny correction to the velocity in the SR formula to multiply it by g_tt so it's approximately correct to multiply the SR time dilation by the gravitational time dilation for a non-moving object to get the total time dilation.
 
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  • #36
JesseM said:
What do you mean by "relative"? It is a v defined in relation to a single coordinate Earth-centered system, so you can say it's defined "relative" to that coordinate system, but it's not "relative" in the sense that we are considering more than one frame of reference, so there are no issues of reciprocity. Similarly, in SR if you are traveling at 0.8c relative to me, and I am only using my inertial rest frame to define velocity and clock rates, then there is no issue of reciprocity here either--in this single frame, it is unambiguously true that I am at rest and you are moving at 0.8c, and that my clock is ticking at a normal rate while yours is slowed down by a factor of 0.6 (and if you also use my rest frame to do your calculations, you will agree--remember that any observer can calculate things from the perspective of any frame they like). Reciprocity would only enter into things if we wanted to also look at things from the perspective of your rest frame, but I have no obligation to do this, I can address any coordinate-invariant physical question using only my own rest frame to do the calculations.

Earlier I asked this question:

Your response was "Yea, this is fine", but the fact that you continue to talk as though we are somehow obligated to consider the issue of reciprocity in different frames (and it's not entirely clear you understand that 'reciprocity' only applies when we consider multiple frames as opposed to just one) suggests you aren't actually totally fine with this. So please tell me again, do you understand that there is never a requirement to use multiple frames in relativity, and that it only makes sense to talk about "reciprocity" in things like time dilation when we are comparing multiple frames?

Finally, note that even when we do deal with multiple frames, the idea that time dilation should be reciprocal only applies if both frames are inertial ones (the time dilation factor \sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2} is only meant to apply in inertial frames). If you have an inertial observer A with a non-inertial observer B orbiting around him, and you consider both the inertial frame where A is at rest and the non-inertial rotating frame where B is at rest, then both frames will agree that B's clock is ticking slower than A's.

OK, perhaps you can explain this.

1) relative motion and reciprocal time dilation

2) Your absolute standard you are using that causes a v to occur but is not relative motion and time dilation is one way.
 
  • #37
pervect said:
It might be instructive to work out the problem using GR in the Earth centered frame, using the Schwarzschild metric, for a circular orbit at the equator. This will also show that the usual SR velocity time dilation formula is only an approximation.

It might be helpful to recap how we get the equation for time dilation in SR, first.


The time dilation that we wish to solve for is just
<br /> \frac{dt}{d\tau}<br />

In SR, we know the flat space-time metric is

c^2 d\tau^2 = c^2 dt^2 - dx^2 - dy^2 - dz^2

dividing both sides by dt^2, we get

c^2 \left( \frac{d\tau}{dt} \right) ^2 = c^2 - \left( \frac{dx}{dt} \right)^2 - \left( \frac{dy}{dt} \right)^2 - \left( \frac{dz}{dt} \right)^2

Solving for d\tau / dt we get

\frac{d\tau}{dt} = \sqrt{1 - \frac{ \left(\frac{dx}{dt}\right)^2 + \left(\frac{dy}{dt}\right)^2 + \left(\frac{dz}{dt}\right)^2 }{c^2} }<br />

We recognize this as
\frac{d\tau}{dt} = \sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}}

but since we want the reciprocal, dt / d\tau, we get the usual relation

\frac{dt}{d\tau} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}}}

Now, we just need to repeat this for the case of a gravitating body. We'll use Schwarzschild coordinates to get the curved space-time metric, rather than the flat metric we used in SR.

Note that in Schwarzschild coordinates, \theta is Pi at the equator, and \phi varies from 0 to 2Pi as it sweeps out the orbit. r is constant for a circular orbit.

So we write

<br /> c^2 d\tau^2 = g_{tt} dt^2 + g_{rr} dr^2 + g_{\theta\theta} d\theta^2 + g_{\phi\phi} d\phi^2<br />

dividing both sides of the equation by dt^2, and dropping some terms that we know to be zero, such as \frac{dr}{dt} and \frac{d\theta}{dt}, we get

<br /> c^2 \left( \frac{d\tau}{dt} \right)^2 = g_{tt} + g_{\phi\phi}\left(\frac{d\phi}{dt}\right)^2<br />

We know that for the schwarzschild metric

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schwarzschild_metric&oldid=325313722

g_{tt} = \left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)^2\,c^2

and we know that

g_{\phi\phi} = -r^2

as sin\phi is one.

Putting this together we get
<br /> c^2 \left( \frac{d\tau}{dt} \right)^2 = c^2 \, \left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)^2\ - r^2 \left(\frac{d\phi}{dt}\right)^2<br />

This can be rewritten as

<br /> \frac{d\tau}{dt}= \sqrt{ g_{tt} } \sqrt{1 - \frac{1}{g_{tt}} \left( \frac{r \frac{d\theta}{dt} }{c} \right)^2<br />


This is almost in the form of the product of the GR and SR time dilation but not quite exactly.

Note that if we set d\phi / dt to zero, we see that the time dilation is just the gravitational time dilation

<br /> \frac{dt}{d\tau}= \frac{1}{\sqrt{g_{tt}}}

But because the gravitational time dilation is so nearly unity, it provides only a tiny correction to the velocity in the SR formula to multiply it by g_tt so it's approximately correct to multiply the SR time dilation by the gravitational time dilation for a non-moving object to get the total time dilation.


So, if you assume there does not exist a gravity potential difference and there does not exist an orbital path, does this result in reciprocal time dilation?
 
  • #38
cfrogue said:
OK, perhaps you can explain this.

1) relative motion and reciprocal time dilation

2) Your absolute standard you are using that causes a v to occur but is not relative motion and time dilation is one way.
Huh? I don't understand what you want me to explain. Neither of these is a question, or even a complete sentence.

And can you please answer the question I asked you?
So please tell me again, do you understand that there is never a requirement to use multiple frames in relativity, and that it only makes sense to talk about "reciprocity" in things like time dilation when we are comparing multiple frames?
Note that pervect's analysis only involved a single coordinate system too (Schwarzschild coordinates), so there can be no issue of reciprocity there.
 
  • #39
JesseM said:
Huh? I don't understand what you want me to explain. Neither of these is a question, or even a complete sentence.

And can you please answer the question I asked you?

OK, your question involved one frame.

I do not know how to answer this question since there is the Earth frame and the satellite frame.

How is there only one since all motion is relative? I am ignoring the orbit and the gravity difference.

JesseM said:
Note that pervect's analysis only involved a single coordinate system too (Schwarzschild coordinates), so there can be no issue of reciprocity there.

How does this Schwarzschild metric reduce to SR with only inertial motion?
 
  • #40
JesseM said:
Huh? I don't understand what you want me to explain. Neither of these is a question, or even a complete sentence.

And can you please answer the question I asked you?

Note that pervect's analysis only involved a single coordinate system too (Schwarzschild coordinates), so there can be no issue of reciprocity there.


I think I know where we are not meeting the minds.

Gravity and acceleration are accepted as absolute motion.

Inertial motion is not.

Is this correct?

I am attempting to break the two into pieces as was done in the article.

Does this make sense?
 
  • #41
cfrogue said:
OK, your question involved one frame.

I do not know how to answer this question since there is the Earth frame and the satellite frame.
There is no "satellite frame" being used in the GPS system calculations. It seems like you think that because the satellites are moving relative to the Earth-centered frame that somehow obligates us to consider a separate "satellite frame", but that just isn't correct. Consider the analogy of the twin paradox in SR, where we are free to analyze the whole problem from the perspective of the Earth twin's frame, getting an answer to questions about how much each twin will have aged when they reunite without ever doing any calculations from the perspective of a frame where the traveling twin was at rest. You could do a separate analysis from the perspective of such a frame, but there is no obligation to if you are just interested in answering physical questions like how much each twin ages.
cfrogue said:
How is there only one since all motion is relative?
Frames are not real physical entities, it makes no sense to talk as though there were an objective truth about whether there is "only one" or there "are" multiple frames in any given situation. A frame is just a coordinate system, an imaginary spacetime grid which we have dreamed up for the purpose of making calculations. Frames don't come into existence because of the motion of objects--no matter what physical situation we are analyzing, no matter what number of objects are involved or what their motions are, we can analyze the situation entirely from the perspective of one frame, or we can analyze it from the perspective of a million distinct frames (including frames where none of the objects being analyzed are at rest), it's totally up to us. You are certainly free to imagine a "satellite frame" where the satellite is at rest if you really want to, but no such frame is actually used in the GPS computer calculations.
cfrogue said:
How does this Schwarzschild metric reduce to SR with only inertial motion?
It doesn't reduce to SR, the Schwarzschild metric is a curved spacetime while SR deals only with flat spacetime.
 
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  • #42
cfrogue said:
I think I know where we are not meeting the minds.
I think the problem is that you are treating "frames" as real entities that either exist or don't exist depending on the motion of objects, when really they are just imaginary coordinate grids that we choose according to our own whims.
cfrogue said:
Gravity and acceleration are accepted as absolute motion.

Inertial motion is not.

Is this correct?
I'm not sure what you mean by this. In SR there is an absolute truth about whether something is moving inertially or accelerating, and in GR there is an absolute truth about whether an object is in freefall (which is what 'inertial' motion means in curved spacetime) or not, as well as an absolute truth about whether spacetime is curved (which is what 'gravity' means in GR) or flat. Even if this is what you were getting at, though, I don't really see what it has to do with our discussion about frames and "reciprocity".
cfrogue said:
I am attempting to break the two into pieces as was done in the article.
As pervect showed, you can only break it in two in an approximate way, the actual time dilation calculated in curved GR spacetime is not precisely equal to a product of velocity-based time dilation and gravitational time dilation.
 
  • #43
JesseM said:
There is no "satellite frame" being used in the GPS system calculations. It seems like you think that because the satellites are moving relative to the Earth-centered frame that somehow obligates us to consider a separate "satellite frame", but that just isn't correct. Consider the analogy of the twin paradox in SR, where we are free to analyze the whole problem from the perspective of the Earth twin's frame, getting an answer to questions about how much each twin will have aged when they reunite without ever doing any calculations from the perspective of a frame where the traveling twin was at rest. You could do a separate analysis from the perspective of such a frame, but there is no obligation to if you are just interested in answering physical questions like how much each twin ages.

Well, I assume a theory can answer questions from all perspectives within the theory and get the same answer for the same problem.

Do you agree?

For example, Einstein's solution to the twins paradox is that all parties agree the traveling twins ages less.




JesseM said:
Frames are not real physical entities, it makes no sense to talk as though there were an objective truth about whether there is "only one" or there "are" multiple frames in any given situation. A frame is just a coordinate system, an imaginary spacetime grid which we have dreamed up for the purpose of making calculations. Frames don't come into existence because of the motion of objects--no matter what physical situation we are analyzing, no matter what number of objects are involved or what their motions are, we can analyze the situation entirely from the perspective of one frame, or we can analyze it from the perspective of a million distinct frames (including frames where none of the objects being analyzed are at rest), it's totally up to us.

If you look at the link I posted, there exists experiment evidence that v time dilation exists. Sure, it also accounts for gravity and orbit in the equations.

But, the link clearly demarcates this relative v.

Thus, one would assume a reciprocal time dilation relationship.

Why is this not the case?

JesseM said:
It doesn't reduce to SR, the Schwarzschild metric is a curved spacetime while SR deals only with flat spacetime.

Then how does this apply to the relative v in the link?
 
  • #44
JesseM said:
I think the problem is that you are treating "frames" as real entities that either exist or don't exist depending on the motion of objects, when really they are just imaginary coordinate grids that we choose according to our own whims.

So, should we say reciprocal time dilation is false and that it is only one way as proven by GPS satellites?



JesseM said:
As pervect showed, you can only break it in two in an approximate way, the actual time dilation calculated in curved GR spacetime is not precisely equal to a product of velocity-based time dilation and gravitational time dilation

I am OK with that. But, I want them to match the graph which is the experiment evidence and then I would like to know why reciprocal time dilation is false.
 
  • #45
cfrogue said:
Well, I assume a theory can answer questions from all perspectives within the theory and get the same answer for the same problem.

Do you agree?
As long as you are asking frame-independent questions about events which occur at a single local point in spacetime, like what ages the two twins are at the moments they meet. Different frames would have different answers to questions that are not "local" in this way, like what age the Earth twin is at the moment the traveling twin turns around (because of the relativity of simultaneity there will be different answers in different frames). I would say that only questions about local events are really "physical" questions.
cfrogue said:
If you look at the link I posted,
Which one?
cfrogue said:
there exists experiment evidence that v time dilation exists. Sure, it also accounts for gravity and orbit in the equations.

But, the link clearly demarcates this relative v.

Thus, one would assume a reciprocal time dilation relationship.

Why is this not the case?
Are you even reading what I write? "Reciprocal" time dilation relationships only make sense when you are comparing multiple frames, like how if you're moving away from me at 0.6c in SR, then in my inertial rest frame your clock is running slower than mine by a factor of 0.8, but in your inertial rest frame my clock is running slower than yours by a factor of 0.8. But frames are not real things, they are just imaginary coordinate grids which we can choose to use or not use as we please. If you choose to analyze this situation from both my rest frame and your rest frame, then you will see this sort of "reciprocal" time dilation, but if you choose to analyze the situation from only a single frame, then in this frame there is only going to be a single truth about which clock is running slower. Is this really so hard to understand?
 
  • #46
cfrogue said:
So, should we say reciprocal time dilation is false and that it is only one way as proven by GPS satellites?
Reciprocal time dilation is not "true" or "false" in any objective way, just like frames do not "exist" or "not exist" in any objective way. If you choose to analyze the same situation from the perspective of multiple frames, then different frames can have reciprocal perspectives about which clock is running slower. But if you choose to analyze this situation from the perspective of only one frame, then in this single frame there is only a single answer to the question of which clock is running slower.
 
  • #47
JesseM said:
As long as you are asking frame-independent questions about events which occur at a single local point in spacetime, like what ages the two twins are at the moments they meet. Different frames would have different answers to questions that are not "local" in this way, like what age the Earth twin is at the moment the traveling twin turns around (because of the relativity of simultaneity there will be different answers in different frames). I would say that only questions about local events are really "physical" questions.

We have to be very careful on expressing events do we not? For example, the light cone sets up an absolute standard on deciding whether events are in the absolute past. No observer in the universe can disagree on events as implemented by the light cone.

Thus, why do you think we can universally generalize events and put them under the context of R of S whch is a relative standard?

JesseM said:
Which one?
The original link I posted.

JesseM said:
Are you even reading what I write? "Reciprocal" time dilation relationships only make sense when you are comparing multiple frames, like how if you're moving away from me at 0.6c in SR, then in my inertial rest frame your clock is running slower than mine by a factor of 0.8, but in your inertial rest frame my clock is running slower than yours by a factor of 0.8. But frames are not real things, they are just imaginary coordinate grids which we can choose to use or not use as we please. If you choose to analyze this situation from both my rest frame and your rest frame, then you will see this sort of "reciprocal" time dilation, but if you choose to analyze the situation from only a single frame, then in this frame there is only going to be a single truth about which clock is running slower. Is this really so hard to understand?

I read what you wrote.

Perhaps you could specifically explain the experimental evidence of a relative v time dilation and then explain why a relative v does not imply reciprocal time dilation as demanded by SR.

That is the part I still do not get.
 
  • #49
cfrogue said:
We have to be very careful on expressing events do we not? For example, the light cone sets up an absolute standard on deciding whether events are in the absolute past. No observer in the universe can disagree on events as implemented by the light cone.

Thus, why do you think we can universally generalize events and put them under the context of R of S whch is a relative standard?
What does "universally generalize events" mean, and why do you think I am doing that?
cfrougue said:
I read what you wrote.

Perhaps you could specifically explain the experimental evidence of a relative v time dilation
What does "relative v time dilation" mean? I already noted the ambiguity of your use of the word "relative" in post #14:
There is only one type of velocity used--the velocity of the satellite in the Earth-centered coordinate system. It's a "relative" velocity in the sense that you're measuring the satellite's velocity relative to this particular coordinate system, but "relative" does not imply that anyone is calculating the velocity of the Earth clocks in a satellite-centered frame. You could do this on your own if you wanted to, but it is not part of the GPS calculations, the only frame that any GPS computers are using is the Earth-centered one.
Then I noted it again in post #32 and asked what you meant by it, but you never answered this question:
What do you mean by "relative"? It is a v defined in relation to a single coordinate Earth-centered system, so you can say it's defined "relative" to that coordinate system, but it's not "relative" in the sense that we are considering more than one frame of reference, so there are no issues of reciprocity.
As I keep saying, all velocities and time dilations are defined relative to particular choices of coordinate system--do you disagree, and if so can you offer another way of defining velocity or time dilation which does not involve a particular choice of coordinate system?
cfrogue said:
and then explain why a relative v does not imply reciprocal time dilation as demanded by SR.
I keep telling you that "reciprocal time dilation" only makes sense when you are comparing two different frames, and that it is totally a matter of choice what frames you choose to use in your analysis. If you choose to analyze a pair clocks in relative motion using the two different frames where each clock is at rest, you will see reciprocal time dilation (i.e. in clock #1's rest frame clock #2 will be running slow, and in clock #2's rest frame clock #1 will be running slow). If you choose to analyze these two clocks from the perspective of a single frame, then there is only one answer to the question of which clock is running slower, so there is nothing "reciprocal" here. Do you think SR "demands" that there should be reciprocal time dilation in a single frame? Or do you think SR "demands" that we are forbidden to analyze a situation from the perspective of a single frame, that we are obligated to use multiple frames? If your answer to either of these questions is "yes", then you are just totally confused. And if your answer to both questions is "no", then I have no idea what you mean when you say reciprocal time dilation is "demanded by SR".
 
  • #50
JesseM said:
What does "relative v time dilation" mean? I already noted the ambiguity of your use of the word "relative" in post #14:

You said in #10
I think they are talking about velocity-based time dilation vs. gravitational time dilation, the latter being a GR effect which isn't based on velocity.




So, you seem to mean there is relative motion and no time reciprocal time dilation.

How do you make this happen?
 
  • #51
JesseM said:
What does "universally generalize events" mean, and why do you think I am doing that?

You invoked R of S for describing events and that is not the only way to describe events. Thee is also the light cone.
 
  • #52
cfrogue said:
You said in #10
I think they are talking about velocity-based time dilation vs. gravitational time dilation, the latter being a GR effect which isn't based on velocity.




So, you seem to mean there is relative motion and no time reciprocal time dilation.

How do you make this happen?
How can I answer this question if you won't answer my own question about what you mean by "relative motion"? Likewise you refuse to answer my question about whether you agree or disagree that "reciprocal time dilation" only makes sense when we are comparing multiple frames, that it is meaningless to talk about reciprocal time dilation in the context of a single frame. If you don't answer my questions about the meaning of your vague phrases, I can't answer yours.
 
  • #53
JesseM said:
As I keep saying, all velocities and time dilations are defined relative to particular choices of coordinate system--do you disagree, and if so can you offer another way of defining velocity or time dilation which does not involve a particular choice of coordinate system?

No I do not disagree.

So, I want the normal SR interpretation.

Why is this wrong?
 
  • #54
cfrogue said:
You invoked R of S for describing events and that is not the only way to describe events. Thee is also the light cone.
I didn't say anything about it being "the only way to describe events". In fact if you were paying attention, you'd have noticed I was saying that the only questions that have objective physical answers are questions that can be defined in a purely local manner (like a question about the age of two twins at the moment they both pass right next to each other), and that questions about simultaneity therefore are not really "physical" or "objective" in this sense, since they are not local.
 
  • #55
JesseM said:
I keep telling you that "reciprocal time dilation" only makes sense when you are comparing two different frames, and that it is totally a matter of choice what frames you choose to use in your analysis. If you choose to analyze a pair clocks in relative motion using the two different frames where each clock is at rest, you will see reciprocal time dilation (i.e. in clock #1's rest frame clock #2 will be running slow, and in clock #2's rest frame clock #1 will be running slow). If you choose to analyze these two clocks from the perspective of a single frame, then there is only one answer to the question of which clock is running slower, so there is nothing "reciprocal" here. Do you think SR "demands" that there should be reciprocal time dilation in a single frame? Or do you think SR "demands" that we are forbidden to analyze a situation from the perspective of a single frame, that we are obligated to use multiple frames? If your answer to either of these questions is "yes", then you are just totally confused. And if your answer to both questions is "no", then I have no idea what you mean when you say reciprocal time dilation is "demanded by SR".


I think I have been very clear to choose the Earth frame and the satellite frame.

And, no I do not think SR forbids looking at a problem from one frame.

But, we would not be scientific if we did not conisder the problem from all perspectives.


Thus, SR invokes reciprocal time dilation without experiment evidence to support it by GPS. In fact, GPS would show it is false.

Do you know why this is or where I am wrong?
 
  • #56
JesseM said:
I didn't say anything about it being "the only way to describe events". In fact if you were paying attention, you'd have noticed I was saying that the only questions that have objective physical answers are questions that can be defined in a purely local manner (like a question about the age of two twins at the moment they both pass right next to each other), and that questions about simultaneity therefore are not really "physical" or "objective" in this sense, since they are not local.


Should we take a timeout?

You seem emotional.
 
  • #57
cfrogue said:
I think I have been very clear to choose the Earth frame and the satellite frame.
But the GPS system does not do any calculations from the perspective of the "satellite frame", and you imply there is something problematic about this. Why?
cfrogue said:
And, no I do not think SR forbids looking at a problem from one frame.
So you'd agree the same is true in GR? There is nothing incorrect about doing all the calculations in an Earth-centered frame?
cfrogue said:
But, we would not be scientific if we did not conisder the problem from all perspectives.
Why wouldn't it be scientific? Did the science gods command us to repeat every calculation from the perspective of multiple frames, even if we have already answered all physical questions about local events using only one frame? And there are an infinite number of distinct frames you could use to analyze every problem--are we not being scientific if we don't use every possible one?
cfrogue said:
Thus, SR invokes reciprocal time dilation without experiment evidence to support it by GPS. In fact, GPS would show it is false.

Do you know why this is or where I am wrong?
cfrogue, if it seems like I'm getting frustrated with you it's because I am--you keep repeating the same vague and ambiguous phrases without ever seeming to pay any attention to the criticisms I offer, or the questions I ask that are meant to clarify your meaning. Did you not read the last hundred posts of mine where I said reciprocal time dilation only makes sense when comparing multiple frames, and where I pointed out over and over again that it's your choice what frames to use in any given calculation, and that the GPS system calculations are based on the choice to use only a single frame? How could the GPS system show "reciprocal time dilation" to be false when it doesn't even attempt to compare multiple frames, and when it is a priori impossible that calculations done in a single frame (like GPS) could show any reciprocal time dilation? Please actually think about what I am saying here, instead of just ignoring virtually all my comments and repeating the same cliched phrases and questions over and over again.
 
  • #58
"SR time dilation" seems to be misidentified, where ever it came from. We are comparing 2 clocks, not 3.
 
  • #59
Phrak said:
"SR time dilation" seems to be misidentified, where ever it came from. We are comparing 2 clocks, not 3.
We're talking about the rate clocks are ticking relative to a given coordinate system, which is one of the ways of talking about time dilation in SR, rather than talking about the times on one clock as it passes next to two other clocks which share the same rest frame, which is a different way of talking about time dilation (though obviously they are related since any coordinate system's time can be defined in terms of a network of imaginary clocks which are at rest in that system).
 
  • #60
cfrogue said:
Should we take a timeout?

While you are on a 'timeout' and no doubt considering what JesseM and Pervect (amongst others) have told you, I suggest you also consider this ultra-simplistic satellite scenario.

Assume a hypothetical homogeneous, perfectly spherical, non-rotating Earth. Put an observer with a clock on top of a tower that reaches to the orbit of a manned satellite, which is in circular orbit. Gravitational time dilation is now equal for tower clock and satellite clock. Let the two observers record the times of their own and of each others clocks at every flyby. Now ask yourself:

1) At flyby, will each observer perceive the other observer's clock to (momentarily) run slower, because they are in relative motion? This is a frame dependent observation (your reciprocity issue).

2) When they compare clocks at each flyby, will they agree that the satellite clock recorded a shorter orbital period than the tower clock, i.e., that the satellite clock "lost time" relative to the tower clock in an absolute sense?

What would you answer?
 
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