Quote:
Originally Posted by cassidym
I've read that scientists have placed atomic clocks at the top and bottom of tall water towers and discovered, as predicted by General Relativity, that the clock at the top (less affected by gravity) does run faster than the one at the bottom.
Consequently, if you and your twin have to share a bunk bed, take the lower one; you'll age slower. Okay, well, it probably take a million years to equal a couple of seconds.
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It's true that people in the upper stories of high towers age faster than people who live on the ground floor, or more correctly, the people in the upper stories travel through time faster because they are further away from earth's gravity, which produces the same effect as acceleration. Of course, the differences are minuscule, and no one researching genealogies needs to concern themselves as to whether someone was born in the penthouse or the basement when assigning the exact time of birth to various relatives. Even if it were noticeable to outside observers, as in the famous thought experiment of the astronaut who travels close to the speed of light only to return and discover his twin brother is now an old man, the amount of time each experienced would be the same.