Re: I think I can understand....

Posted by DickT on December 18, 2002 at 15:04:44:

In Reply to: Re: I think I can understand.... posted by TonyC on December 18, 2002 at 13:36:00:

Tony,

Quite so. Time is only the "fourth" dimension if there are three non-time , i.e. spatial dimensions in the problem, and your examples illustrate this perfectly.

If your computer game were written to be relativistic, with c a finite speed faster than the icons can move but well within the players comprehension, then you would have an invariant separation d^2 - c^2t^ - x^2 - y^2 and so on. Maybe you could click on any icon to assume its rest frame viewpoint, and see the other icons with shortened lengths and dilated times.

Physicists study model, or toy, theories in (1+1) and (1+2) spacetimes. LQG is well developed on these models.

Regards,
Dick

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