The fundamentals of space-time: Part 2 - Andrew Pontzen and Tom Whyntie
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TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
Light always
travels at a speed of 299,792,458 meters per second. But if you're in
motion too, you're going to perceive it as traveling even faster --
which isn't possible! In
this second installment of a three-part series on space-time, CERN
scientists Andrew Pontzen and Tom Whyntie use a space-time diagram to
analyze the sometimes confounding motion of light.
We have chosen to draw the angle of light worldlines at 45 degrees. Given the speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second, what duration does a space-time diagram 20cm wide and 20cm tall represent? Scientists often like to set the speed of light, c, to 1 in what are called "Natural Units." What do you think this means? Do the units matter? Why do you think the angle of 45 degrees is important? (Hint - think about the stretch-and-squash trick.)
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Andrew Pontzen, Tom Whyntie
- Director Patrick Semple, Mark Fisher
- Producer Daniel Spencer
- Narrator Andrew Pontzen, Tom Whyntie
