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The GR correction is actually larger than, and of opposite sign from,
the required SR correction. Clocks in GPS orbits run faster than their
counterparts on Earth's surface. The GR correction was also made in
the analysis of the original flying clock experiment. I have heard,
but cannot document, the story that when GPS was conceived the idea
that GR corrections would be negligible was assumed. That error was
corrected by Carroll O. Alley before the system went into operation.
Leigh
On Jan 30, 2004, at 1:00 AM, David Bowman wrote:
> The GPS system is an ongoing demonstration of this SR effect. The
> only main difference is that the orbiting atomic clocks are not
> brought to rest w.r.t. the earth's surface after each orbit and don't
> start from rest on the earth's surface at the beginning of each
> orbit. Another effect is that there is also a GR correction due to
> the difference in gravitational potential between the orbiting clocks
> and the ground-based clocks.
>
> The GPS system is the still the only commonly/popularly used
> technological development that *requires* GR corrections to make it
> work properly.
>
> David Bowman