A laborer repairing the clock tower on a space station orbiting a black hole accidentally drops the clock in such a way that it accelerates toward the black hole. What does the worker see while watching the clock?
A) The hands of the clock keep normal time since time is absolute and the same everywhere.
B) The hands of the clock move slower and slower until they and the clock itself stop at the event horizon.
C) As the clock nears the event horizon, the hands begin to move randomly as time becomes jumbled near the black hole.
D) The hands of the clock move faster and faster until the clock plunges through the event horizon.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The worker would see the hands of the clock move slower and slower due to the effects of gravitational time dilation near the black hole, eventually appearing to stop at the event horizon from the worker's perspective. This phenomenon is predicted by the theory of general relativity, where time is observed to move slower in stronger gravitational fields.

A Laborer Repairing the Clock Tower on a Space Station