Does a mechanical watch tick slower on the moon ? Einstein finds out.

[Marvas]

Does a mechanical watch tick slower on the moon ?

ChatGPT: A mechanical watch would indeed tick slower on the Moon than on Earth, and here's why: the oscillation of a mechanical watch's balance wheel, which regulates the timekeeping, is influenced by gravity. Since the Moon's gravity is about 1/6th of Earth's gravity, the balance wheel would experience less force, resulting in a slower oscillation rate.

This slower oscillation means the watch would run slower overall, ticking at a slower rate than it would on Earth. The difference might not be huge, but it's certainly enough to affect the accuracy of timekeeping.
It's fascinating to think about how such everyday objects behave differently in other gravitational environments! If you have more intriguing questions or want to dive into another topic, I'm here for it!

Does a pendulum tick slower on the moon ?

Yes, a pendulum on the Moon would indeed tick slower than on Earth. This difference arises due to the weaker gravitational force on the Moon. The period of a pendulum, which is the time it takes to complete one full swing, depends on the acceleration due to gravity. The formula for the period \(T\) of a simple pendulum is:

\[ T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{L}{g}} \]

where:
- \( T \) is the period of the pendulum
- \( L \) is the length of the pendulum
- \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity

On Earth, the average acceleration due to gravity (\( g_{\text{Earth}} \)) is about 9.81 m/s², whereas on the Moon, it's approximately 1.62 m/s². Since the Moon's gravity is weaker, the value of \( g \) is smaller, resulting in a longer period for the pendulum. This means that the pendulum would swing more slowly, and hence "tick" at a slower rate compared to a pendulum on Earth.

A fascinating demonstration of how gravity affects even simple devices like pendulums! Anything else you'd like to explore?

Yes, Mars. Thanks ChatGPT, I knew Einstein was wrong all along.
This is the exact opposite of what his gravity theory predicted - that a clock ticks faster in a weaker gravitational field, and slower in a stronger gravitational field !

 

[Jim Franklin]

Relying on LLMs to give accurate information on science theories is not a good idea. There are potential issues with Einstiends General Theory of Relativity, buit so far, it has held up against repeated attempts to break it.

Making a statement about gravity without explicit and repeatably verifiable experiments is foolhardy.

How you ask the question is critically important. And to put your mind at ease, actual experiments have demonstrated on multiple occasions that a mechanical watch built on Earth for use on Earth but then used on the Moon will in fact tick FASTER. Here, take a read of this overview to correct your misunderstanding.

Gravitational Effects (General Relativity)

• Time dilation due to gravity is weaker where the gravitational field is weaker.
• On the Moon, the gravitational acceleration is about 1/6th of Earth's (1.625 m/s² compared to 9.8 m/s² on Earth). As a result, the gravitational time dilation effect on the Moon is less pronounced than on Earth.
• This means that a clock on the Moon would tick slightly faster than it would on Earth, due to the weaker gravity.

Kinematic Effects (Special Relativity)
Time dilation due to velocity applies when objects are moving. The Moon rotates on its axis and orbits the Earth at a slower speed compared to the Earth's rotation and orbit around the Sun. Because the Moon’s rotational and orbital speeds are much smaller than Earth's, the kinematic time dilation on the Moon is also less significant. This also contributes to a clock on the Moon ticking slightly faster than on Earth.
Combined Effect

• Both effects (weaker gravity and lower velocity) contribute to a watch ticking faster on the Moon than on Earth.
• The mechanical design of the watch might be influenced by local gravitational forces, but since this is an Earth-made mechanical watch, it is optimized for Earth's gravity. On the Moon, the reduced gravity might affect the physical operation (like the behavior of the balance wheel), though this depends on the specific construction of the watch. However, this mechanical effect is separate from relativistic considerations.

The difference is minuscule, on the order of microseconds per day, as relativistic effects are very small for such differences in gravity and velocity.

This was confirmed by all the astronauts who visited the Moon with Breitling and Omega mechanical watches.

Einstein was 100% correct, your assertion is, sadly for you, 100% incorrect.