What does the conceptual framework of space have to offer us?
Part I of II
Space: A property of the universe that enables physical phenomena to be extended into three mutually perpendicular directions.
In Newtonian physics, space, time, and matter are treated as quite separate entities.
In Einsteinian physics, space and time are combined into a four-dimensional continuum (see space-time) and in the general theory of relativity matter is regarded as having an effect on space, causing it to curve.
Space-time: In Einstein’s concept of the physical universe, based on a system of geometry devised by H. Minkowski (1864–1909), space and time are regarded as entwined, so that two observers in relative motion could disagree regarding the simultaneity of distant events. In Minkowski’s geometry, an event is identified by a ‘world point’ in a four-dimensional continuum.
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These concepts may seem complex, so let’s simplify them.