Short Answer
Light escaping outward is redshifted to lower frequency is the best answer.
Relativity questions test whether space, time, energy, and simultaneity are being treated classically when they should not be. Start by deciding whether the question is special relativity, general relativity, or an observational consequence such as GPS timing.
A photon climbing outward loses energy as measured by distant observers, so it is gravitationally redshifted.
Why This Answer Is Correct
This is a Hard-level question in Relativity. The prompt is really testing whether you can connect the concept to its defining physical relationship instead of picking a nearby-but-wrong term.
Most relativity mistakes come from mixing Newtonian intuition with relativistic invariants such as spacetime interval, proper time, or rest energy.
Choices At A Glance
- A. Light falling inward is redshifted to lower frequency
- B. Light escaping outward is redshifted to lower frequency
- C. The effect depends only on electric charge
- D. Frequency changes but wavelength cannot
When similar options appear on an exam, eliminate the ones that break the core law, use the wrong units, or confuse a definition with a consequence.
Study Next
Review the related formula library
review the theoretical physics hub
Topic Snapshot
Topic: Relativity
Difficulty: Hard
Best next move: Re-state the governing law in your own words, then solve one more example from the same topic before moving on.