eklhad@ihnet.UUCP (K. A. Dahlke) (03/19/85)
< round and round she goes > Some concepts, such as time dilation in an accelerating frame of reference, are very counterintuitive. I suppose, if you have thought about these things long enough, they become straightforward, and even picturable. After all, we all imagine ourselves on a sphere, even though the world looks flat, but we have been told "round earth" for so long, and I suppose that when you have done enough physics problems, you can picture time effects, even though, ... Where was I? Oh yes, but I always like simple reproducible experiments. What if I placed a small sample of radioactive "stuff" in a testtube, and spin it in a super centrifuge for a week. Might it decay less (noticeably) then my "stuff" on the shelf (control)? Assume my centrifuge can generate 100,000 G's. I have no idea what state-of-the-art centrifuges are capable of. Can somebody out there calculate the dilation effects. Are they too small to make the experiment valid? Would the "velocity" effects (since the stuff is always moving relative to me) completely swamp the acceleration affects? I am interested in the formulas, not just numerical answers. Another question: If an electron is held stationary within an electric field, does it experience the general relativistic effects felt by mass in a gravitational field. If so, perhaps one could hold exotic charged particles in an electric field, and compare their decay with a no-field control. This would eliminate the "velocity" component as well. -- Some insipid moronic closing like "my opinions are my own ... " Karl Dahlke ihnp4!ihnet!eklhad