Gravitational Time DilationClocks run slower deeper in a gravitational field.PhysicsTime passes more slowly where the gravitationalpotential is lower.Δt = Δt₀/√(1 − 2GM/rc²)GPS satellitesRun fast by 45 μs/dayWeaker field.Their orbital speedSlows them by 7 μs/daySpecial relativity.Net correction38 μs/dayBoth effects.THE COMMON MISTAKEAssuming the two effects cancelThey partly oppose but do not cancelThe gravitational effect is larger for GPS orbits, so satellite clocks run net fastand must be slowed before launch.Optical clocks now resolve a height difference of a few centimetres.Relativity has become a surveying tool.Gravitational Time Dilationlearnposters.com
Gravitational Time Dilation — printable physical science wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Gravitational Time Dilation poster

The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes.

Optical clocks now resolve a height difference of a few centimetres. Relativity has become a surveying tool.

Questions about the Gravitational Time Dilation poster

What’s on the Gravitational Time Dilation poster?
The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes. Time passes more slowly where the gravitational potential is lower.; Δt = Δt₀/√(1 − 2GM/rc²); GPS satellites = Run fast by 45 μs/day; Their orbital speed = Slows them by 7 μs/day; Net correction = 38 μs/day; Common mistake: Assuming the two effects cancel → They partly oppose but do not cancel. Optical clocks now resolve a height difference of a few centimetres. Relativity has become a surveying tool.
Who is the Gravitational Time Dilation poster for?
Gravitational Time Dilation belongs to the Physics section rather than to a school year, because physical science is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning relativity can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Gravitational Time Dilation poster?
A clock at sea level runs slower than one on a mountain. The difference is measurable. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Gravitational Time Dilation belongs on the wall where that physical science work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Gravitational Time Dilation?
Black Holes, Cosmology and General Relativity sit alongside Gravitational Time Dilation in the Physics section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Black HolesCosmologyGeneral Relativity
Is the Gravitational Time Dilation poster free to download and print?
Yes. Gravitational Time Dilation downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Physics section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Gravitational Time Dilation poster print at?
Gravitational Time Dilation is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Gravitational Time Dilation loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside Gravitational Time Dilation on the same wall.

Browse every Physics poster, or start from the full catalogue.