- 1790
- Space bends, and Time
slows? This review explains why space
and time must change in order to adhere to the Theory of Relativity. It all
changed in 1905. Space and time were
constants, unchanging. Then
Einstein proclaimed that space bends and
time slows. That changes everything:
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----------------- 1790
- Space bends, and Time slows?
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What follows are five reviews that are about Determinism, Non-Locality,
Infinity, Space-Time, and Relativity.
Let’s start with Space-time. It
all changed in 1905. Space and time were
constants, unchanging. Then
Einstein proclaimed that space bends and
time slows. That changes everything:
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Once the equations were written Einstein needed a demonstration, an
experiment, that validated the calculations.
Mercury’s orbit around the Sun is not exactly the same every year. It is awfully close. Within one part in a million. But, it is
consistently off by that same amount each year.
As the planet orbits it “precesses“, its orbit offsets, it wobbles due
to space-time warping created by the huge mass of the Sun.
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No big deal but Einstein’s equations calculated the amount exactly and
Newton’s equations calculated exactly the amount of error predicted. The proof that space-time really does warp.
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He proved that time slows with this thought experiment. Design a clock using a flashbulb, a mirror,
and a photocell. The flash goes
off. Light travels up to the mirror and
back to the photocell that triggers another flash. Now the repetitive flashes act as a tick-tock
of a clock.
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If the clock is stationary each tick-tock is the exact same amount of
time.
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- Now,
set the whole thing in motion. The light
beam that goes up to the mirror and bounces back to the photocell does not go
straight up and straight down. The beam
going up and coming down traces a longer triangular path as the clock’s moves
horizontally. The light beam has to
travel further when in motion. The
tick-tock slows down.
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The stationary observer sees a saw-tooth pattern to the light beams as
the clock passes by. An observer moving
with the clock still sees a straight up and down beam. The moving observer sees a faster clock than
the stationary observer. The stationary
observer sees a slower clock. It all
depends on their Relative motion. Moving clocks tick slower.
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The same phenomena occurs simply throwing a ball in the air. Newton’s laws are the same in motion or
stationary, but, two observers see different paths for the ball. The stationary observers see a longer path
for the ball when the thrower is moving.
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These ideas are behind what is now the Theory of Relativity:
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- Moving
clocks slow down.
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Moving objects shrink in their direction of motion.
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Moving objects get more massive.
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It has been proven clocks tick slower in orbit than when on Earth. Less gravity has slower clocks because Earth’s
gravity is warping space-time less at higher elevations.
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Electromagnetic waves toss electric fields and magnetic fields back and
forth with various frequencies. The
speed of these waves is always 186,000 miles per second in the direction of
travel. The tossing back and forth
varies with each different frequency (color).
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Electromagnetic waves range in size from radio waves with 1,000’s of
miles in wavelength to Gamma Rays with wavelengths smaller than the nucleus of
atoms. Regardless , all these waves move
at the same speed, the speed of light.
And this speed is always a constant to all observers regardless of their
relative motion.
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Speed is a ratio. The only way
for speed to remain constant regardless
of motion is for distance to shrink and time to slow.
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----------------------- speed
= distance / time
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To carry this Theory of Relativity into space. A space traveler is weightless. She releases a ball and it is suspended in
the same spot as long as the velocity of the ship is constant. If the spaceship is accelerating the floor of
the ship rises up and meets the ball.
The traveler feels the force of acceleration. The traveler thinks the ball is falling to
the floor. The traveler can tell no
difference between gravity and acceleration.
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Defying common sense all bodies fall in a gravitational field the same
regardless of their mass. You would think that the heavier ball would fall
faster than the lighter ball. Not
so! The gravitational acceleration is
the same independent of mass.
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If the space ship is traveling in one direction and accelerating at
exactly 32 feet per second per second,
then the falling ball would fall exactly the same as if the space-ship
were standing still on the surface of the Earth. The space traveler could not tell the
difference between acceleration and gravity.
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The simple principle always applies:
The presence of matter distorts the fabric of space-time and objects all travel the
shortest time path through this warped space.
Space-time distortions are basically unnoticeable , and immeasurable,
until motion nears the speed of light, or, objects are near a very large mass.
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In fact, the first demonstration, or experiment, to verify this
principle occurred in 1919 when astronomers detected light being deflected as
photons passed by the mass of an eclipsed Sun.
The same warp of space-time also explained the precessions of Mercury’s
orbit introduced in the first paragraph.
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- A
more modern proof of Relativity occurred when the 24 orbiting satellites in the
Global Positioning System ( GPS ) began measuring distances to calculate
positions on Earth’s surface using their
high precision atomic clocks. These distance
measurements only worked when calculations compensated for the differences
between slower time in orbit and faster time on the surface of Earth.
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The Theory is 100 years old and only one prediction remains
unverified. That is the existence of
Gravitational Waves. Several experiments
are in the works. Stay tuned, an announcement
will be made shortly ,and, Einstein will be proven right once again!
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The next Review #1791 addresses the Consequences of the Theory of
Relativity.
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Previous reviews available upon request:
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# 1773 - The size
of space depends on how fast you are.
Space is not empty. It is full of
fields and particles, and what else?
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#1407 Space is in constant
motion. Electric charges ( ions) in
motion create electric and magnetic fields.
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#1670 - Space dust.
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- #
1242 -
At the smallest levels things remain connected even though they are
separated in space.
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- #
1241 -
How can space and time be related?
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#1258 - How much space is in out Solar System?
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#781 - Space-
much todo about nothing?
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------------------------- Tuesday, May 29, 2018
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