Free-Fall Motion and Time in General Relativity

Peter J. Riggs

doi:10.1142/S2661339523500063

Free-Fall Motion and Time in General Relativity

Peter J. Riggs^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Recent attempts at explaining free-fall motion (i.e. motion only under the influence of gravity) in the context of the General Theory of Relativity have invoked a concept of time passing/progressing. Although students who have studied the Special Theory of Relativity will likely know that this concept does not feature in Special Relativity, they may incorrectly accept the concept of time passing/progressing as an aspect of General Relativity if they have encountered these accounts of free-fall motion. It is pointed out that time passing/progressing is not part of General Relativity theory and is briefly shown that free-fall motion in General Relativity is quantitatively described without such a concept.

Original language	English
Article number	2350006
Journal	The Physics Educator
Volume	5
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1142/S2661339523500063
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2023

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title = "Free-Fall Motion and Time in General Relativity",

abstract = "Recent attempts at explaining free-fall motion (i.e. motion only under the influence of gravity) in the context of the General Theory of Relativity have invoked a concept of time passing/progressing. Although students who have studied the Special Theory of Relativity will likely know that this concept does not feature in Special Relativity, they may incorrectly accept the concept of time passing/progressing as an aspect of General Relativity if they have encountered these accounts of free-fall motion. It is pointed out that time passing/progressing is not part of General Relativity theory and is briefly shown that free-fall motion in General Relativity is quantitatively described without such a concept.",

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AB - Recent attempts at explaining free-fall motion (i.e. motion only under the influence of gravity) in the context of the General Theory of Relativity have invoked a concept of time passing/progressing. Although students who have studied the Special Theory of Relativity will likely know that this concept does not feature in Special Relativity, they may incorrectly accept the concept of time passing/progressing as an aspect of General Relativity if they have encountered these accounts of free-fall motion. It is pointed out that time passing/progressing is not part of General Relativity theory and is briefly shown that free-fall motion in General Relativity is quantitatively described without such a concept.

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KW - General Relativity

KW - curved spacetime

KW - gravity

KW - time advancement

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Free-Fall Motion and Time in General Relativity

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