Upload
jay-mclain-digamon
View
363
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Space and Time Can Warp Your Mind
Space
What is space? Gridwork for
measuring distances
Everything – planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe
Is space infinite?
Time
What is time? The constant drumbeat of existence “Time is what happens when nothing else
does.”
Measured with atomic clocks to one part in 1015
One second since the demise of the dinosaurs
Does time have a beginning? An end?
Motion
Change of position in space over time Change in space Change in time
Motion through space variableMotion through time constantChange within fixed framework
Motion is Relative
Motion measured compared to fixed frame of reference Which frame is fixed? Which is moving?Why you can’t sit still Earth’s rotation – 800 mph Earth’s orbit – 65,000 mph Sun’s orbit – 450,000 mph Milky Way’s motion – 1,300,000 mph
Speed of Light
Speed of Light
Finite186,000 miles per second 670 million mph
Light travel distances Earth-Sun distance is 93 million miles 500 seconds of light travel time 1 light-year = 6 trillion miles
Time-Warped View
Proxima Centauri – 4.2 lyCenter of Milky Way – 27 thousand lyAndromeda galaxy – 2.5 million lyFornax cluster – 65 million lyMost distant objects – 13 billion ly
Looking out in space = back in time
Observable Universe
Finite speed of lightFinite age of the universeFinite volume observableProperties Spherical Centered on the observer Horizon, not edge
Special Theory of Relativity
Special Theory of Relativity
Speed of light is an absolute - cPhysics is the same to all observers Observer at rest Observer in motion Inertial reference frame Our reference frame has considerable
motion
Non-relativistic Motion
Velocities add together
20 mph
2 mph
Total 22 mph
Relativistic Motion
Motions don’t add linearly
0.95 c
0.1 c
Total 1.05 c - WRONG
Relativistic sum = 0.96 c(0.1 + 0.95) c(1 + 0.1*0.95)
Special Theory of Relativity
Thought experiments Deduce relativistic behavior Observer at rest vs. observer in motion
Speed of light is constant Change in space different Change in time different
Thought Experiment - rest
light
mirror
Measure distanceMeasure timeCalculate speed of light
Thought Experiment - motionmirror
light
Measure distanceMeasure timeCalculate speed of light
Shrinking Space
Length contraction The length of an object appears shorter
when measured by a moving observerSpaceship pilot flying at 0.99c would measure football field as 14 yards longCrowd would measure spaceship to be 1/7 as long as pilot thinksRelativistic diet tip: If you move fast, other people think you’re thinner
Stretching Time
Time dialation Time appears to slow down when
measured by a moving observer
Travel to Proxima Centauri at 0.99 c would take 4.25 yearsPilot would only age (4.25/7) years, about 7 monthsOne way time travel to the future
Light doesn’t exist?
At speed of light, lengths go to zeroAt speed of light, time stands stillPhoton of light doesn’t experience space or time Emitted Instantaneously crosses any amount of space Absorbed
In its own frame of reference, light doesn’t exist in space or time
Special Theory of Relativity
One’s view of space and time depends on one’s motion
General Theory of Relativity
General Theory of Relativity
Matter warps spaceRe-interpret gravity as geometry Straight paths, but in curved space Geodesic
Extends special relativity to handle non-inertial frames of reference
Warped Space
Warped Space
Matter tells space how to curve
Curved space tells matter how to move
Gravitational Lenses
More mass, more warpWarped space can act like a glass lens
Slowing Time
Gravitational time dilation Clocks run slower in a larger gravitational
fieldTested by flying atomic clock in plane Slower due to special relativity Faster due to general relativityToday’s atomic clocks can measure altitude difference of 1 yard
General Theory of Relativity
One’s view of space and time depends on how much matter is around and how it is distributed
Expansion of Space
Einstein’s Greatest Mistake
Equations for the universe unstableEinstein added an energy of space (cosmological constant) term to create stable solutionMissed predicting the expansion of the universe
Energy of motion
Energy of matter
Energy of space
= +
Expansion of Space
Hubble measured motions of galaxies All appear to move away from us Cosmic cooties?
Expansion through space - WRONG Galaxies moving away from center No measurements show a center Copernican hypothesis underlies
astronomy, and all science
Expansion of Space
• Expansion of space Galaxies at rest Space between galaxies expanding All galaxies see every other galaxy moving
away No centerDifferent kind of relative motion Observers at rest Reference frame in motion
Big Bang
The Universe has expanded … from small to big from hot to cold from dense to rarified
Standard framework of cosmology Only hypothesis that fits observations Scientific theory
Big Bang Observation
Cosmic Microwave Background Remnant glow from hot early universe Seen in every direction on the sky\ Perfect thermal spectrum Time: half a million years after big bang Temperature: 3000 degrees Size: 1/1000th present size
Observational evidence that the universe was smaller, denser, and hotter in the past
Expansion of Space
One’s view of space and time depends on when in the history of the universe one is observing
SOME say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Fire and Ice - Robert Frost
“Thank You”