Category Archives: Science
In the last two weeks I’ve covered relative motion as the ancients understood it (Galilean Relativity), touched on how light doesn’t follow those rules, and introduced time-space diagrams that we can use to visualize motion. I also introduced the topic of space-time events, which are simply locations in space at a given time.
In particular, I showed how our friend Al can use a laser to determine both the location and the time (relative to himself) of an event. This allows him to map his nearby space and time using a system of regular (that is, grid-like) space-time coordinates.
Today we continue with that idea.
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3 Comments | tags: Galilean invariance, line of simultaneity, simultaneity, simultaneous events, space-time, space-time event, Special Relativity, surface of simultaneity, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
A couple of readers have asked about the diagrams in this series of Special Relativity posts. I created them with the freeware 3D ray tracing application, POV-Ray. The diagrams are actually three-dimensional “scenes” designed to be viewed as flat pieces. If some of the “dots” look more like little spheres, that’s because they are!
I wrote some introductory posts a while ago (here, here, and here). You can read those if you want more details about the application.
For a little (optional!) Friday fun, I thought I’d share some POV-Ray images that have a bit more “dimension” to them.
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7 Comments | tags: 1D, 2D, 3D, 3D images, Emmy Noether, light, light speed, POV-Ray, ray tracing, space-time, Special Relativity, time, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
My Special Relativity “icon”!
This week I’ve introduced you to time-space diagrams. They’re the foundation of everything that follows in this series, so I hope you’re feeling very comfortable with them.
I also introduced you to space-time events, and I apologize for any confusion in calling the diagrams “time-space” and the events “space-time.” Six of one, half-dozen of the other. I wanted to stress the time component of the diagrams, whereas space-time is the more usual general term.
Today we wrap up the week with some important diagram details.
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8 Comments | tags: distance, light, light speed, space, space-time, Special Relativity, time, time-space, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
Last time I introduced you to the idea of a space-time event. In physics, an “event” has the same meaning as when Hollywood blares out about a “major motion picture event” — that is to say, nothing at all special — just something that happens at a specified location and time.
If you attend a social event, it has a location and a time. When we talk about space-time events, all we mean is a specific location and a specific time (hence the name, space-time event).
Today we’ll explore some interesting aspects of such events.
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8 Comments | tags: light, light speed, space, space-time, space-time event, Special Relativity, time, time-space, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
The last two posts introduced and explored the concept of time-space diagrams. This time I’ll complete that exploration by using them to consider motion from two points of view. This will be an exercise in application of our diagrams.
I’m going to connect that application with something I stressed last week: that motion has a symmetrical component. It’s perfectly valid to think of the world moving past the train as it is to think of the train moving through the world.
It happens that here our dueling points of view are resolved by something else I discussed last week. See if you spot it before I mention it.
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11 Comments | tags: diagrams, motion, relative motion, space, space-time, space-time event, Special Relativity, time, time-space, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
3D holograms! Me want!!
Last time I introduced you to the idea of a time-space diagram, which is a kind of map used to describe motion. As with many maps and diagrams, we choose to use a flat, two-dimensional representation. Someday hologram technology may advance to casual use of three-dimensional images, but so long as we use paper and display screens, we’re stuck with two.
Motion is movement in both space and time, so we want to use one of our two dimensions to represent time. That leaves us with only one remaining dimension for space, so our diagrams exist in a reduced one-dimensional world.
Today I’ll explore that world in more detail.
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7 Comments | tags: 1D, 2D, 3D, diagrams, dimensions, maps, motion, space, Special Relativity, time, time-space, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
Last week I introduced you to the idea of relative motion between frames of reference. We’ve explored this form of relativity scientifically since Galileo, and it bears his name: Galilean Relativity (or Invariance). Moving objects within a (relatively) moving frame move differently according to those outside that frame.
I also introduced you to the idea that light doesn’t follow that rule; that light moves the same way to all observers. This is what makes Special Relativity different. It turns out that, if a frame is (relatively) moving fast enough, some bizarre things happen.
Time-space diagrams will help us explore that.
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2 Comments | tags: 1D, 2D, 3D, diagrams, dimensions, Edwin Abbott, Emmy Noether, Flatland, maps, motion, Special Relativity, time, time-space, time-space diagram | posted in Physics
It’s Friday, and I’m sure you’re thinking about the weekend, so today will be just a review and some more details about the speed of light.
And speaking of light, today is the Vernal Equinox. For the next six months (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), our days will be longer than our nights. No doubt the combination of spring, the Equinox, and the weekend, have you wondering what you’re doing at your computer reading about Special Relativity.
I’ll try to be very brief…
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8 Comments | tags: Albert Einstein, equinox, Galilean invariance, Galileo Galilei, light, light speed, light year, moon, Special Relativity, spring equinox, Sun, vernal equinox | posted in Physics
Throwing like a girl!
I’ve introduced the idea of an inertial frame of reference. This is when we, and objects in our frame, are either standing still or moving with constant (straight-line) motion. In this situation, we can’t tell if we’re really moving or standing still relative to some other frame of reference. In fact, the question is meaningless.
I’ve also introduced the idea that objects moving within our frame — moving (or standing still) along with us, but also moving from our perspective — move differently from the perspective of other frames. Specifically, the speed appears different.
Now I’ll dig deeper into that and introduce a crucial exception.
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11 Comments | tags: Albert Einstein, Emmy Noether, Galilean invariance, Galileo Galilei, Mo'ne Davis, motion, scalars, Special Relativity, speed, vectors, velocity | posted in Physics
In the last two posts I’ve explained how Special Relativity concerns relative motion between two frames of reference, and that the motion involved is constant, straight-line motion that allows us to view either frame as the “moving” one or the “standing still” one.
Today I’m going to dig a little bit deeper into the idea of relative motion and what that involves for actions within a constantly moving frame of reference versus what observers in a different frame perceive. In other words: trains, planes, and automobiles.
(Warning: this gets a little math-y, but you can ignore those bits.)
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25 Comments | tags: Albert Einstein, bowling ball, Emmy Noether, frame of reference, Galileo Galilei, James Maxwell, motion, relative motion, relativity, Special Relativity | posted in Physics
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