"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in message
...
First, I am not a physicist. I do desktop publishing as a profession, but
am
an avid sci-fi reader.

Two related questions. What causes time to slow down as a ship approaches
the speed of light? Is there any possibility that we could create the
effect
on a stationary object? Imagine a room in which time was slowed down to
say
1% normal. One year might in it might equal 100 years.

Sure you can do that by modification of the space-time
metric, that is, by increasing the curvature of space, for
some limited region of space. For, example, see to it
that the gravitational field is increased in that special
room of yours.

Actually, a field isn't required. All you need is a huge
amount of gradient-free, negative gravitational potential.
You can do that by constructing a massive spherical
shell about yourself. Then, through peepholes in the
shell, you can watch time fly by on the shell's outer
surface, all in weightless comfort.

However, for a large factor in time-rates between you
and those on the surface, the people on the surface
would be living (?) in a huge gravitational field. So, lets
put them out in space, almost an infinite distance away.
Then the ratio in time rates between you and them is
given by

delta_t (you) / delta_t (them) = sqrt[ 1 - 2 M / R c^2 ]

where M and R are the mass and radius of the shell,
and G is the universal gravitational constant. Note that
your time approaches zero (their time approaches infinity)
as the mass of the shell, M, approaches that of a black-
hole of radius, R, but everyone lives in free-fall comfort.

See: "Gravity: An Introduction to ... " by J.B. Hartle
ISBN 0-8053-8662-9

[Old Man]