Actually, the effects of general relativity are felt on a daily basis by us folk on Terra Firma. (Spelling?) GPS satilites have to have their clocks adjusted to take it into account. Or is that the other relativity? Now I'm mixing up my relativities. (Does that mean I'm in danger of uttering an absalute? *gasp*)
I was thinking that if GPS sats have to account for all this insanity, how much more an interstellar society?
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-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Moreton
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:02:04
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] speed/acceleration/mass/energy/etc
> Interesting. So the effects of relativity are based on speed (relative
> to a frame of reference), not gravitational force?
>
(Sorry did not answer this on previous post) Yes. Special relativity which
is used to most of this does not involve gravity at all except as a force
like any other. In my entire special relativity course and books gravity
never comes up that would be a much later course .
From the foundation of this Einstein went on to postulate general
relativity which ties gravity into the whole thing . For any purpose in
traveller where you do not have a neutron star or similar Special realtivity
should suffice , for most purposes Newtonian mechanics work fine