How do you calculate the time dilation of a satellite?
How do you calculate the time dilation of a satellite?
- Let’s keep it simple and assume circular orbits of GPS satellites with average height R_gps = 20180 km.
- Time dilation on a circular orbit by gravity is given by the formula:
- where dt is (roughly speaking) time as it would have been without gravity, and dt’ – with gravity.
What is gravitational time dilation and how does it work?
Gravitational time dilation is a phenomenon whereby time runs slower when in a higher gravitational potential. Put simply, the closer you are to a large body like the Earth the slower time runs, thus time runs slower for someone on the surface of the earth compared to someone in orbit around the earth.
What is time dilation and how to calculate it?
In simple words, time dilation is a measure of the elapsed time that we measure using two clocks. Also, there are two reference frames referred to as the proper time (one-position time) and observer time (two-position time). Moreover, both of them are interrelated and we can find the time dilation of one if we know the velocity and speed of others.
What is the relationship between time and gravity?
Gravity is not just a force. This effect measures the amount of time that has elapsed between two events by observers at different distances from a gravitational mass. In other words, time runs slower wherever gravity is strongest, and this is because gravity curves space-time. Think of it this way — time follows a simple equation:
Why does time run slower when gravity is the strongest?
In other words, time runs slower wherever gravity is strongest, and this is because gravity curves space-time. Think of it this way — time follows a simple equation: speed = distance / time Light (in this case, speed) is always constant and travels at a speed of 180,000 miles per second.