Spatial geometry in the context of Space-time


Spatial geometry in the context of Space-time

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⭐ Core Definition: Spatial geometry

In geometry, a three-dimensional space is a mathematical space in which three values (termed coordinates) are required to determine the position of a point. Alternatively, it can be referred to as 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space. Most commonly, it means the three-dimensional Euclidean space, that is, the Euclidean space of dimension three, which models physical space. More general three-dimensional spaces are called 3-manifolds. The term may refer colloquially to a subset of space, a three-dimensional region (or 3D domain), a solid figure.

Technically, a tuple of n numbers can be understood as the Cartesian coordinates of a location in a n-dimensional Euclidean space. The set of these n-tuples is commonly denoted and can be identified to the pair formed by a n-dimensional Euclidean space and a Cartesian coordinate system.When n = 3, this space is called the three-dimensional Euclidean space (or simply "Euclidean space" when the context is clear). In classical physics, it serves as a model of the physical universe, in which all known matter exists. When relativity theory is considered, it can be considered a local subspace of space-time. While this space remains the most compelling and useful way to model the world as it is experienced, it is only one example of a 3-manifold. In this classical example, when the three values refer to measurements in different directions (coordinates), any three directions can be chosen, provided that these directions do not lie in the same plane. Furthermore, if these directions are pairwise perpendicular, the three values are often labeled by the terms width/breadth, height/depth, and length.

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Spatial geometry in the context of Curved geometries

Curved space often refers to a spatial geometry which is not "flat", where a flat space has zero curvature, as described by Euclidean geometry. Curved spaces can generally be described by Riemannian geometry, though some simple cases can be described in other ways.

Curved spaces play an essential role in general relativity, where gravity is often visualized as curved spacetime. The Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker metric is a curved metric which forms the current foundation for the description of the expansion of the universe and the shape of the universe. The fact that photons have no mass yet are distorted by gravity, means that the explanation would have to be something besides photonic mass. Hence, the belief that large bodies curve space and so light, traveling on the curved space will, appear as being subject to gravity. It is not, but it is subject to the curvature of space.

View the full Wikipedia page for Curved geometries
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