- #1
Nadeen
- 5
- 5
As per my intro post, I don’t consider myself to have any science background beyond high school education.
In a philosophy thread about time on City-Data Forum, where most of the entries are just general unscientific musings, I saw the following post:
“Time is a distance in spacetime: v =x/t therefore t = x/v- ie- time is proportionally equivalent to 3D distance. Time is relative to speed also, hence Einstein's Special Theory about time & distance changing with speed.”
Where anyone makes categorical statements and accompanies them by a formula, I tend to check the validity of the post. In this case, the statement completely baffled me.
First, assuming that x refers to the position in space, is the formula correct? Should it not refer to differences in values and as such use the delta notation for each variable?
Second, does this formula apply to Special Relativity?
Third, Einstein is often quoted as having said that “time has no independent existence apart from the order of events by which we measure it.” If that is the case, is it correct to say that time is a property of spacetime? I learned from reading the Wiki article on Spacetime intervals, that depending on the value of spacetime, it can exhibit “timelike” property but that doesn’t mean that time is a distinct property of spacetime, just how we perceive it? Is that a correct assessment?
Fourth, if “time is the order of events by which we measure it”, is it appropriate to refer to distance? Should it not be referred to as spacetime interval between the events or is it the same thing? In which case could speed/velocity (I'm not sure which one is the correct term here) be independent of time and instead somehow be related to the difference between spacetime intervals of different events? (I’m not sure if how I word this makes sense.)
I am so sorry if none of the above makes any sense but I have thick skin so can handle criticism, and if you can direct me to other resources to possibly expand my understanding on the subject, I’d be much obliged.
In a philosophy thread about time on City-Data Forum, where most of the entries are just general unscientific musings, I saw the following post:
“Time is a distance in spacetime: v =x/t therefore t = x/v- ie- time is proportionally equivalent to 3D distance. Time is relative to speed also, hence Einstein's Special Theory about time & distance changing with speed.”
Where anyone makes categorical statements and accompanies them by a formula, I tend to check the validity of the post. In this case, the statement completely baffled me.
First, assuming that x refers to the position in space, is the formula correct? Should it not refer to differences in values and as such use the delta notation for each variable?
Second, does this formula apply to Special Relativity?
Third, Einstein is often quoted as having said that “time has no independent existence apart from the order of events by which we measure it.” If that is the case, is it correct to say that time is a property of spacetime? I learned from reading the Wiki article on Spacetime intervals, that depending on the value of spacetime, it can exhibit “timelike” property but that doesn’t mean that time is a distinct property of spacetime, just how we perceive it? Is that a correct assessment?
Fourth, if “time is the order of events by which we measure it”, is it appropriate to refer to distance? Should it not be referred to as spacetime interval between the events or is it the same thing? In which case could speed/velocity (I'm not sure which one is the correct term here) be independent of time and instead somehow be related to the difference between spacetime intervals of different events? (I’m not sure if how I word this makes sense.)
I am so sorry if none of the above makes any sense but I have thick skin so can handle criticism, and if you can direct me to other resources to possibly expand my understanding on the subject, I’d be much obliged.