Understanding relativity with spacetime diagramsFrom MicaUnderstanding relativity with spacetime diagrams a talk by Dr. Rob Knop of Quest University Canada An introduction to spacetime diagrams (also known as Minkowski diagrams). Abstract: Einstein's theory of Relativity completely changed our notions of reality in the early 20th century. Time, it turns out, is not absolute, but rather mixes with space in a particular way that depends on how fast a clock (or other time measuring device) is moving relative to whoever is asking questions about it. Spacetime diagrams are a great tool for understanding Special Relativity. In this talk I'll introduce a few of the startling results of Special Relativity, and show how they can be described using spacetime diagrams. In next week's talk, we'll use SpaceTime diagrams as a tool to help us describe the geometry near black holes. MediaSlides |