Would the electronics function on a space ship orbiting the edge of a black hole?
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answers:
Ronald 7 say: I take the edge as you call it is the Event Horizon
Electronics would still function
Radio would fail once you cross the EH of course
Electronics would be at the Mercy of whatever happens after that
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Jeffrey K say: Yes. Einstein's General Relativity says that all laws of physics are the same in every frame of reference, whether it is accelerating or in a gravitational field or motionless in empty space.
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neb say: Yes, assuming a supermassive black hole, and as many have mentioned, the electronics are shielded from intense electromagnetism. The assumption of a supermassive black hole allows the ship and its electronics to avoid disruption by tidal forces. Note that locally spacetime appears normal so time dilation and length contraction would not be a factor unless the ship were very large.
The closest that light can orbit the black hole is 3/2 the event horizon radius. Therefore, a ship would have to orbit farther away than that. In practice, quite a bit farther away. An exact answer would depend on black hole size, ship size, sensitivity of electronics equipment, orbital distance away from the black hole, static or rotating black hole, blah blah.
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YKhan say: Time dilation would slow it down, but it would still be operating, unless it gets destroyed by the tidal effects of the BH.
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quantumclaustrophobe say: I would doubt it, with the electro-magnetic radiation of all types around black holes (and from the in-falling matter) - I don't think it would last very long.
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Acetek say: if you stay outside the event horizon yes. stay way out
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az_lender say: You cannot "orbit the edge of a black hole." The escape velocity there is ALMOST the speed of light. So you get sucked in, if you arrive at a point quite far out from the "event horizon."
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Morningfox say: Depends on what you mean by "the edge", and the size of the BH. Generally, for a large BH there's no special reason why the electronics wouldn't work. Except that most BHs have an accretion ring around them, with monster magnetic fields and very hot stream of dust and gas. Those would totally destroy any space ship that got too near, a long time before the gravity effects would do it.
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billrussell42 say: yes, why not. As long as they are shielded from the various EM fields and radiation.
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