GPS and Relativity

An article regarding the GPS and special relativity

GPS and Special Relativity

GPS and Relativity

Putting it all together, how the GPS is related to special relativity

3D explanation for how GPS works

A great 3D diagram for how the GPS works

How GPS works

Thia video is a great diagram of how the GPS works

Time Dilation, modified light clock thought experiment

A thought experiment is an over simplified theoretical "thought" situation where the mysteries of physics can be explored. There have been many famous thought experiments through history. This one below is a modified version of a popular thought experiment involving a photon clock and a fast spaceship. In this version, light bounces between two ships instead.



The original uses "clocks" that look like this:


and like this when in motion:

More Simultaneity

The classic train example that illustrates how simultaneity is relative amongst reference frames.

Simultaneity

A good visualization of how two simultaneous events can occur at different times in different reference frames

Time Dilation

Time dilation is a different passing of time for two different reference frames, a reference frame being any non accelerating frame, such as a room or a car travelling at 60 mph. The theory says that if a spaceship were to zoom past you at a very high speed, you would see its onboard clock tick more slowly than it should. For whoever is on the ship, though, everything would be normal, time would pass as it should. The implication is that the person standing watching the ship will age faster than the person travelling on the fast ship. This will affect our global positioning system in a very significant manner when we explore that later.

Applications

The main application that will be used here is the GPS, or global positioning system. The system is comprised of several satellites, all orbitting the Earth at high speeds. The high speeds cause interesting effects to happen to the satellites, which we will cover in further detail.

Basics

Special relativity was proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein. It began what is known as modern physics. It deals with the idea that any place that is not accelerating is a reference frame. This can be a home or a cruising car. The laws of physics are equal in any reference frame, and no one reference frame can be proven to be the "absolute" reference. So...you may be driving on a road, or the road may just be moving beneath your cars wheels.

Welcome!

Welcome to the special relativity and applications blog! this site will help you understand the basic phenomenon of special relativity. With this, understanding the complications of the GPS system will hopefully become easier.