Relativity in the Global Positioning System

Relativity in the Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System (GPS) uses accurate, stable atomic clocks in satellites and on the ground to provide world-wide position and time determination. These clocks have gravitational and motional frequency shifts which are so large that, without carefully accounting for numerous relativistic effects, the system would not work. This paper discusses the conceptual basis, founded on specia...

Relativistic Effects in the Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides a superb opportunity to introduce relativity concepts to undergraduate students, including non-physics majors. Familiarity with the numerous applications of GPS motivates students to understand relativity. A few fundamental principles need to be introduced, including the postulates of special relativity and the universality of free fall. Then a serie...

Global Positioning System (A Review)

Accurate measurement of physical activity is a pre-requisite to monitor population physical activity levels and design effective interventions. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology offers potential to improve the measurement of physical activity. This paper 1) reviews the extant literature on the application of GPS to monitor human movement, with a particular emphasis on free-living physi...

Compensation of Doppler Effect in Direct Acquisition of Global Positioning System using Segmented Zero Padding

Because of the very high chip rate of global positioning system (GPS), P-code acquisition at GPS receiver will be challenging. A variety of methods for increasing the probability of detection and reducing the average time of acquisition have been provided, among which the method of Zero Padding (ZP) is the most essential and the most widely used. The method using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT...

NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Surveying