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Warp
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I am trying to get an understanding of general relativity one tidbit at a time. I have a vague concept of why curved spacetime causes the effect we call gravity. However, there's an aspect of it (ok, there' are quite many aspects of it, but I'm concentrating on this one right now) that I can't understand.
Time passes more slowly closer to a mass. In other words, the more curved spacetime is, the slower time passes.
This seems counter-intuitive to me. On the surface of the Earth spacetime is more curved than far away from Earth. Thus it would seem that you traverse a larger distance in spacetime when you move in the time axis on the surface than far away from Earth. Yet, even though you travel a larger distance, time passes more slowly, not faster.
Could someone explain in simple and intuitive terms what's going on? (I'm probably either way off, or am simply misunderstanding a simple thing...)
Time passes more slowly closer to a mass. In other words, the more curved spacetime is, the slower time passes.
This seems counter-intuitive to me. On the surface of the Earth spacetime is more curved than far away from Earth. Thus it would seem that you traverse a larger distance in spacetime when you move in the time axis on the surface than far away from Earth. Yet, even though you travel a larger distance, time passes more slowly, not faster.
Could someone explain in simple and intuitive terms what's going on? (I'm probably either way off, or am simply misunderstanding a simple thing...)