Einstein's Impact On GPS

A columnist explains how global positioning systems link are based on an Einstein theory as an argument for why continued funding of research is essential.

1 minute read

August 19, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

General relativity predicts "that the relative clicking of clocks changes depending on their position in a gravitational field. Satellites located high above Earth are moving in a gravitational field that is slightly weaker than what we experience on the ground. As a result, their internal clocks tick at a different rate than those on Earth. The effect is extremely small, but it is comparable to the accuracy needed to distinguish the position of objects on the scale that is otherwise possible with needed by global positioning devices."

Thanks to Ashwani Vasishth

FULL STORY: The Long Arm of Einstein Guides My Steering Wheel

Thursday, August 18, 2005 in The New York Times

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