Space Time Diagram

One division of the space axis corresponds to 1 meter.

Space time diagram. In such a diagram light rays always follow paths with a 45 slope. A specic point on a space time diagram is called an event to make a space time diagram take many snapshots of the objects over time and set them on top of each other. Construct a world line of the particle that is resting at 2 m from the reference event. Use the diagram to determine the time on ann s clock in her spaceship not at the lattice point in her reference frame when she sees through her telescope that chu has changed speed.

Draw a spacetime diagram in ann s reference frame depicting the world lines of both bob and chu and label the important spacetime events along these worldlines. To compare the time intervals one needs to find the intersection of equal ct time of event 2 to the ct axis. Time space a d b c o. A space time diagram is nothing more than a graph showing the position of objects as a function of time.

The tool does the calculations lorentz transforms for you. The later found by drawing a horizontal line across from the event 2 to the ct axis. The usual convention is that time runs up the diagram so the bottom is the past or early times and the top is the future or late times. The way to read this diagram is that the time between the two events 1 and 2 is c t in frame b and c t in frame a.

In this diagram which events out of a b c and d occur at the same time. Which events occur at the same place. We will use a simple graphing technique called a minkowski spacetime diagram or simply a spacetime diagram to illustrate and understand complex scenarios in special relativity. It allows a qualitative understanding of the corresponding phenomena like time dilation and length contraction without mathematical equations.

The minkowski diagram also known as a spacetime diagram was developed in 1908 by hermann minkowski and provides an illustration of the properties of space and time in the special theory of relativity. Keck science center the claremont colleges a space time diagram shows the history of objects moving through space usually in just one dimension. When we look at the spaceship that is moving at 0 5c they are in o and we are in o. In a spacetime diagram like is being used the observers frame of reference o has the non prime axes t and x and light will always move moving at a 45 degree angle and the observer will always be on their t axis.