Mistake in column about relativity and aging?

[JonF]

a group of elderly people, some of them purportedly close to 130 years old, living in some mountainous area of what was then the USSR (sorry, can’t remember more details). My theory at that time was that since they were further away from the center of the earth (because of being high in the mountains), they were spinning faster with the earth than those people on lower ground and my simplistic understanding of the theory of relativity is that as one approaches the speed of light, time slows.

It’s the yogurt. I thought everybody knew that. <grin>

[Notluf]

What about radiation? Living at a higher altitude would subject a person to higher radiation levels, where as a person at the pole being further away from the sun, would be subject to lower radiation. Could the higher/lower radiation levels and the harsh conditions be considered into the equation?

PS: I realize that being “at the pole” would depend on which pole and which season.

PSS: For the sake of the argument lets not consider the “super duper ozone hole” above the poles for right now, better yet, lets include them!

[The_Ryan]

*Originally posted by Spider Woman *
**Some years ago, I heard about a group of elderly people, some of them purportedly close to 130 years old, living in some mountainous area of what was then the USSR (sorry, can’t remember more details). My theory at that time was that since they were further away from the center of the earth (because of being high in the mountains), they were spinning faster with the earth than those people on lower ground and my simplistic understanding of the theory of relativity is that as one approaches the speed of light, time slows. Is this pretty much the same thing that is being discussed here, and how far off base am I with this? I never could get anyone to seriously listen to me before (could be because my majors were psychology and music). **

There’s a problem with that (other than the magnitude problem Achernar pointed out). Try dropping an object. Does it go into orbit? No, it doesn’t. Why? Because the circular motion of the Earth doesn’t even come close to countering the gravity of the Earth. If you go to a higher altitude, you’ll be going faster, but you’ll be in a much higher gravtational potential.

[Loren_Pechtel]

*Originally posted by The Ryan *
**There’s a problem with that (other than the magnitude problem Achernar pointed out). Try dropping an object. Does it go into orbit? No, it doesn’t. Why? Because the circular motion of the Earth doesn’t even come close to countering the gravity of the Earth. If you go to a higher altitude, you’ll be going faster, but you’ll be in a much higher gravtational potential. **

 No--at higher altitude, you have more potential energy from gravitation, you are not in a higher gravitational potential.

 Drop that object and see how fast it falls. It will fall faster at sea level than on the mountian. (Not enough that you'll notice it without some sophisticated instruments, though!)

[Chronos]

Which means that you’re in a weaker gravitational field, not that you’re at a lower potential. Just as electric potential is potential energy per charge, gravitational potential is potential energy per mass, so the gravitational potential is higher at a mountaintop.

[tabbottsrc]

Hi Spider Woman. I also heard something about those people in Russia(Georgia, actually). From what I remember, it isn’t the physics, it’s the nutrition. The people in that area supposedly(According to a tape entitled Dead Doctors Don’t Lie, by a veterinarian/MD) drink something called glacial milk, which has very high amount of colloidal minerals and trace elements in it. It is supposedly these high trace minerals(yeah, I know, it’s a contradiction in terms) that prolong life. The tape goes on to say that the FDA amounts of most trace minerals, including copper, molybdenum, selenium, and vanadium(with a host of others) are way too low. However, this is the kind of thing that should be taken with a grain of salt. Too much metal will kill you.

[Spider_Woman]

Thanks!