Interactive Visualization of Minkowski Spacetime

To illustrate how relative velocities impact perception, consider an interactive Minkowski spacetime diagram. This tool demonstrates how the relative speed of a projectile (depicted as a diamond) changes in relation to the shooter (represented as a triangle).

Visualizing the 4th Dimension

Representing four-dimensional relativistic spacetime on a two-dimensional diagram can seem daunting. Hermann Minkowski, a mentor to Albert Einstein, devised an effective method to achieve this. These diagrams reveal the underlying geometry of special relativity.

In high school physics, you may have encountered a similar diagram, plotting time along the horizontal axis and displacement on the vertical axis.

For instance, in a simple scenario depicted in Figure 1, a car accelerates, stops, and then reverses. This graph maps the car's one-dimensional motion onto a two-dimensional plane, illustrating its position over time.

In contrast, a Minkowski diagram reverses this layout by placing time on the vertical axis. In this model, all three-dimensional space is condensed into the horizontal axis, focusing on motion in a singular dimension. The trajectory of an object is referred to as its worldline.

For our analysis, we will use a scale such that the worldline of a photon forms a 45-degree angle with the horizontal axis, as illustrated in Figure 2. This single diagram incorporates two reference frames, both sharing the same worldline for the photon.

In the diagram, Bob's frame is considered the rest frame, represented by the vertical axis. His reference frame aligns with the undistorted background grid. Here, events occurring on the same vertical line take place at the same location but at different times, whereas events on the same horizontal line occur simultaneously.

Alice's motion relative to Bob is represented by her worldline, which progresses at an angle θ. After a period of time, Δt, she covers a distance Δx from Bob, indicating her velocity as Δx/Δt. To Bob, Alice's frame appears distorted, yet the photon maintains a constant velocity in both reference frames.

The Andromeda Paradox: Understanding Simultaneity

You may be familiar with the term "relativistic velocities," which refer to speeds approaching that of light, where relativistic effects become significant. Interestingly, even minimal speeds can lead to noticeable relativistic effects over vast distances, as illustrated by the Andromeda Paradox.

In Figure 3, Alice runs past Bob, intersecting at point X where their worldlines converge. The Andromeda Galaxy, situated 2.5 million light-years away, possesses a worldline parallel to Bob's, indicating they are at rest relative to one another.

Alice's speed is 2 m/s (note that the diagram is not to scale). At the marked point where the spaceship is located, the inhabitants of Andromeda dispatch a fleet to invade Earth. For Alice, this event coincides with her encounter with Bob, while Bob perceives it as a future occurrence.

Bob and Alice's interpretations of "now" regarding Andromeda diverge. If we assume that 2.5 million years prior, the Andromedans had sent a message announcing their impending invasion, the timing aligns with Alice running past Bob. Both receive the same message stating, "We will arrive at noon Pacific Time on September 1, 2020." However, it does not specify the departure time from Andromeda as it cannot be stated in absolute terms.

In a scaled diagram, Alice's worldline departs slightly from the vertical, defined by angle θ in Figure 3, which also indicates the time difference per unit of distance. Although minimal, this difference is amplified over a vast distance.

The first video, "Relativity #13 - Minkowski geometry #1: The lightcone," explores these concepts in more detail, providing insights into how Minkowski's geometry illuminates the principles of special relativity.

Simultaneity Gradient and Time Differences

The vertical markers in Equation 1 emphasize relative magnitudes without units, allowing us to express all measurements in terms of light speed. For instance, if Alice runs at 2 m/s, her speed as a fraction of light speed is approximately 6.7 × 10⁻⁹, establishing the simultaneity gradient.

When considering light-days, we calculate the time difference, which results in:

text{Now on Andromeda} = 6 text{ days later for Alice than for Bob.}

Even while jogging past Bob, Alice's reference frame differs from Bob's by 6 days, underscoring the significance of perspective when observing distant galaxies.

Velocity Addition: A Relativistic Approach

Suppose Alice zips past Bob at half the speed of light, firing a projectile at one-quarter light speed (from her perspective). What speed does the projectile achieve in Bob's frame?

Intuitively, one might think to simply add these velocities, arriving at ¾ light speed. However, we must adjust for the frame shift. In Figure 4, the projectile retains its velocity in Alice's frame, while Bob perceives Alice's worldline at an angle due to her speed.

In Alice's frame, her worldline is vertical, and the projectile's velocity corresponds to tan θ. Conversely, in Bob's frame, Alice's worldline tilts at angle φ, with her velocity defined by tan φ.

The projectile's angle appears compressed due to the distortion. Let V represent the projectile's speed in Bob's frame, u be Alice's speed, and v be the projectile's speed in her frame. All velocities must be expressed as fractions of light speed.

Interactive Minkowski Diagram

You can explore an interactive Minkowski diagram [here](interactive_minkowski_diagram_link). The diagram shows how varying Alice's velocity (depicted as a triangle) affects the projectile's velocity (shown as a diamond).

The Ladder Paradox: A Thought Experiment

Lastly, we will investigate a classic thought experiment in special relativity known as the Ladder Paradox. Here, Bob possesses a ladder while Alice owns a barn. Intriguingly, Alice's barn is shorter than Bob's ladder, creating a dilemma, as Bob must navigate the ladder through the barn, which has only one door open at a time.

Alice proposes that Bob run with the ladder, suggesting that special relativity predicts the ladder will contract in length. Yet, the theory also implies that, from Bob's perspective, it is the barn that shrinks.

Does the barn accommodate the ladder or not?

The associated Minkowski diagram (Figure 8) presents this scenario from both Bob's and Alice's frames. The vertical lines represent the worldlines of the barn's front and back. When both doors are open, gaps appear in the worldlines.

A brief horizontal line segment near the center of the diagram corresponds to the instant (time = 0.8) in Alice's frame when both doors are closed. To Alice, this segment matches the ladder's length.

Bob's reference frame is skewed in Figure 8. Thus, the ladder's worldline becomes a parallelogram as it traverses the gaps in the barn.

From Alice's perspective, the ladder fits due to spatial distortion; Bob, however, resolves the issue through temporal distortion. Observing from an external viewpoint, we recognize that the ladder fits because of a distortion in spacetime itself.