Tuesday 30 November 2010

Of Space And Time

It is with great pleasure that I announce the most recent expansion of my knowledge database.

I have gained a  preliminary understanding of the mathematical framewrk of Albert Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. More specifically, I have understood, at least in part, the Minkowski Spacetime Reformulation of Relativity which treats time as a fourth dimension. I now understand the derivation of the time dilation equation.

  



Before this sudden revelation, I could only stand far back, like a spectator and wonder at the quirky implications of the theory. But now I can get up close and appreciate the true beauty of the theory which lies in its use of non-Euclidean geometry 

It's interesting to note that Albert Einstein did not construct the theory this way. He started with the assumption that the speed of light was the universal speed limit. However in Minkowski's Reformulation, this does not need to be assumed. The fact that assuming four dimensions solve many of the problems that Special Relativity faced suddenly makes the 11-dimensional universe suggested by the M-Theory more plausible and believable. An understanding of Higher dimensional Geometry is just within my grasp.