[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: Horace Heffner
Final here means when all three clocks are brought back together.
I have to wonder what the data actually looks like.
<><><><><><><>
I don't think anyone has mentioned this site:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/relativ/airtim.html
Thanks very much, Terry!
I notice that the number in my earlier post, in which I worked it out
and concluded the difference should be about 400 nS, was about 40%
higher than the kinematic value of 280 nS predicted by H-K. This is
most likely because I assumed the trip would take place exactly on the
equator and the planes would travel at uniform speed, while the planes
didn't actually follow a great circle and actually traveled at a variety
of speeds; the H-K prediction used the real path of the aircraft.
(Either that or I blew the math somewhere.)
I also notice that the gravitational effects _were_ significant over the
length of the trip. I had guessed that the gravitational component
would be swamped by the kinematic component ... oh, well. Note,
however, that the gravitational component of the "gap" is quite small:
35 nS, versus 280 nS for the kinematic component. I'm fairly sure that
"gravitational" difference is entirely due to the two planes flying at
different altitudes, actually.
By the way, the assertion I've made several times that the Sagnac gap is
independent of the traveler's speed _assumes_ that the eastbound and
westbound travelers go at exactly the same speed ... something which is
difficult or impossible to arrange with real airplanes.
Terry
___________________________________________________
Try the New Netscape Mail Today!
Virtually Spam-Free | More Storage | Import Your Contact List
http://mail.netscape.com
