Would we be able to completely stop time?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of stopping time through gravitational effects, particularly in relation to black holes and hypothetical objects with infinitely strong gravitational pull. Participants explore the implications of gravitational time dilation and the nature of time near singularities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that an object with infinitely strong gravitational pull could theoretically stop time, questioning the implications of such a scenario.
  • Others argue that the concept of "infinite gravitational pull" is unclear and oversimplifies the complexities of general relativity, where gravity is described as the geometry of space-time.
  • One participant clarifies that time does not slow down near a black hole in an absolute sense, but rather refers to gravitational time dilation, where clocks tick normally for the observer.
  • A later reply suggests that an observer near a singularity would perceive the external universe aging rapidly, but this perspective is challenged by another participant who states that the observer would not experience the entire lifetime of the universe due to finite proper time before reaching the singularity.
  • Another contribution emphasizes that an observer outside the event horizon can see the universe's lifetime but requires significant proper acceleration to remain in that position, raising questions about the feasibility of using gravitational time dilation to observe future events.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the nature of time near black holes and the implications of hypothetical infinite gravitational pull, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the ambiguity surrounding the definition of "infinite gravitational pull" and the complexities of gravitational time dilation, which depend on specific conditions and assumptions about observers' experiences near singularities.

Tryannosaurus
We know that time slows down around a black hole due to its immense gravitational pull that "streches" time, but for the sake of this thread let's say we were able to have an object that had a infinitely strong gravitational pull, would this stop time for good?

Imagine that we created something that could have an infinitely strong gravitational pull but it would only last for 5 seconds, would time around that object completely stop? Then would the 5 seconds it would last for be forever around the object? Would the 5 seconds even matter no that time stopped?
 
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Tryannosaurus said:
We know that time slows down around a black hole due to its immense gravitational pull that "streches" time
This is quite an oversimplification.

It is also not clear what you would mean by "infinite gravitational pull". In GR, gravity is the geometry of space-time, not a force.
 
Time doesn't slow down near a black hole, that would be gravitational time dilation. Your clock will still tick at 1 second per second.
 
That answer misses the mark a bit. An observer adjacent to the singularity would observe the external universe age at an accelerated rate, perhaps its entire lifetime, during that second.
 
Noel said:
That answer misses the mark a bit. An observer adjacent to the singularity would observe the external universe age at an accelerated rate, perhaps its entire lifetime, during that second.
In this case, you have missed the mark. An observer adjacent to the singularity will reach the singularity in a finite (and fairly short) amount of proper time. This observer will not see the entire lifetime of the universe, and in fact the last thing he will see is light that crossed the horizon very shortly after he did.

An observer hovering outside of the event horizon (the horizon and the singularity are different things, of course) can see the entire lifetime of the universe, but only the same way that everyone else can - stick around long enough and you'll get to see everything.
 
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Nugatory said:
An observer hovering outside of the event horizon (the horizon and the singularity are different things, of course) can see the entire lifetime of the universe, but only the same way that everyone else can - stick around long enough and you'll get to see everything.
It should also be mentioned that hovering "just outside" the horizon would require a large proper acceleration, which would somehow have to be imparted on such an observer. The observer would also have to be able to withstand said acceleration. Not a viable way of using gravitational time dilation to see what happens in the future.
 

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