Is space/time made of atoms?
A little more than 100 years ago most people–and most scientists–thought of matter as continuous. A theory with the strange name of loop quantum gravity predicts that space and time are indeed made of discrete pieces. …
What is the structure of space and time?
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model which fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why different observers perceive differently where and when events occur.
What is space-time and matter?
Einstein’s general theory of relativity can be summed up in just 12 words: “Space-time tells matter how to move; matter tells space-time how to curve”. It is an extension of Einstein’s special theory of relativity – but such a massive one that it took him 10 years, from 1905 to 1915, to get from one to the other.
How does matter interact with space-time?
Matter tells space how to curve, and curved space tells matter how to move. We are taught that mass warps spacetime, and the curvature of spacetime around mass explains gravity – so that an object in orbit around Earth, for example, is actually going in a straight line through curved spacetime.
How are matter, space, and time unified?
The remarkable progress described in Chapter 2 suggests that the opportunity to achieve that unification may be at hand. Realizing that opportunity will involve obtaining information both from high-energy physics laboratory and accelerator experiments and from observations in astronomy and cosmology.
Is the path of a particle through spacetime four dimensional?
Space time is thus four dimensional. Mathematical events have zero duration and represent a single point in spacetime. The path of a particle through spacetime can be considered to be a succession of events. The series of events can be linked together to form a line which represents a particle’s progress through spacetime.
Can a theory of matter and space be attainable?
Physicists have long believed that a fundamental, encompassing theory of matter, space, and time must be attainable. The remarkable progress described in Chapter 2 suggests that the opportunity to achieve that unification may be at hand.
Why is time not separated from the three dimensions of space?
Furthermore, it assumes that space is Euclidean; it assumes that space follows the geometry of common sense. [3] In the context of special relativity , time cannot be separated from the three dimensions of space, because the observed rate at which time passes for an object depends on the object’s velocity relative to the observer.
