GPS Vs. Spacetime
GPS and Spacetime must use the accurate time to know a location on Earth or in space. Einstein said time is relative, but what does that mean to you, and why should you care?
The GPS is a Global Positioning System owned and operated by the US Space Force and provides position, navigation, and time to everyone in the world with a GPS receiver. Most phones and newer cars have a GPS receiver. Is GPS also used in Spacetime?
The GPS Network
The network of GPS has three segments that control the operation.
1. The Space Segment consists of at least 24 satellites that transmit one-way signals of the satellite's position and time.
2. The Control Segment consists of worldwide control stations that maintain the satellite's orbits and adjust the accuracy of the clocks.
3. The User Segment consists of the GPS receiver that converts the signal into the receiver's position and time.
The GPS answers five questions simultaneously:
“Where am I?”
“Where am I going?”
“Where is the destination?”
“What’s the best way to get there?
“When will I get there?”
The Operating Facts
Your receiver must have a line of sight to at least four satellites, so mountains and buildings can block some or all signals.
A GPS receiver calculates its position and time based on data received from 4 to 6 satellites.
Your receiver doesn't transmit data to the satellites, and it operates minimally even without Wifi or internet reception.
That’s great to know. Even if you don’t have Wifi, the GPS will show where you are. You are not lost unless your receiver (phone) runs out of power. Relax, just follow the map to get back to Wifi territory.
The satellites carry very stable atomic clocks that are synchronized with one another and with ground clocks.
Any drift from the time, such as time dilation, is corrected daily. In the same manner, the satellite locations are known with great precision.
The speed of radio waves is constant and independent of the satellite speed. Thus the time delay between the satellite's signal to the receiver depends on your distance from the satellite.
The receiver must see at least four satellites to compute the four unknown quantities. Three coordinates of the location and one of time.
The (3) coordinates of your location are the longitude, latitude, and height as measured from the satellites. Imagine, each satellite is 20,000 kilometers above the surface of the Earth, and they map and record every square meter of Earth's surface.
What Three Words
What 3 Words (W3W), is a new and unique way of knowing your location. Instead of knowing your longitude and latitude, you can use 3 words to know your location.
The free app has converted each 3x3 meter area (about 100 sq.ft.) into (3) words. For instance, my address is wing.necks.dove.
You can call 911 emergency and give them the three words, and they will know your location. Each country has a different language, but I think they can give the location in any language.
Timekeeping Accuracy
Most receivers (phones) are accurate within 100 nanoseconds to the GPS time, but currently, GPS time is faster than the International Atomic time. Should you care?
Have you ever driven with your GPS, and you notice that you are off by more than 30 feet from the destination? If the time isn't accurate, the location isn't accurate.
That’s why it matters to you, that they must keep the accurate time. What about Spacetime?
Your Spacetime
The GPS system gives you your location and your present moment. When you move, your space-time gives you your speed or motion.
If you are driving, your speedometer shows how fast you are moving. But if another observer wants to know your speed, they must measure your distance traveled per time.
A police radar gun can calculate your speed from your distance traveled divided by time and answer it as km/hour, just like your speedometer.
The GPS satellites can also measure the speed of boats, trains, and airplanes.
The satellites can see your vehicle from space and calculate the distance you move per second, and convert it into km/hour.
To calculate your speed from space isn't very accurate. For one, it doesn't see the terrain or territory accurately, and the GPS time isn't 100% accurate with Earth-time due to time dilation.
Spacetime of Relativity
Measurements in space are difficult to measure because space doesn't have size and distances.
On Earth, the GPS system monitors your location, speed, and time regarding where you are, and it's easy to calculate your motion per time and estimate your speed.
When we try to calculate speed in space, it becomes much more difficult. We can't see a location in space because space doesn't have a size or a way to measure distance.
To know how fast objects in Spacetime are moving, we need a comparison of distance. Also, our standard of Earth-time isn't compatible with time dilation in space.
The only way to estimate a speed is by using the background location of stars that are seemingly at infinite distances and are relatively motionless to us.
When measurements are made this way, the speed isn't in km/hr as on Earth. The units have changed to Space and time into time dilation, known as Spacetime.
Spacetime is a geometric fabrication that exists on paper as a map, but it can't give you a description of the territory that doesn't exist.
Spacetime is a metric, a sequence of numbers, but it's not a fabric such as the rubber sheet they use in the demonstration of gravity.
With GPS, they measure distance divided by time to get the speed. With Spacetime, distance becomes space that can't be measured, and time isn't local time.
Thank god we don't have to worry about Spacetime or the fake rubber fabric of Space, lol, but OMG, it's awesome to have GPS and W3W to make life easier.
Remember the times you used to argue about directions? Now you can forget about reading maps and just concentrate on your safe driving.
Key Takeaways:
1. GPS is a free public service to everyone.
2. You don't need wifi to use GPS.
3. Accurate locations need the accuracy of timekeeping.
4. Spacetime is a geometric map to visualize the effect of gravity.
5. What 3 Words is a free app that converts your location into 3 words.
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