Is There an Absolute Reference Frame for Time and Space?

Teaser

Sharon Walker, Betty Takesuye, Brenda Pippin, Woosoo Jeon,

Jenness Nedergaard


The idea that motions in space and time need a frame of reference both for description and understanding ultimately leads to the question, “ Is there some universal, absolute frame of reference or standard on which all time and motion of objects may be graphed?”

Because we are so accustomed to being able to graph motion in time and space in our little local neighborhood (the earth), one might think so.

But, Einstein did not think so. He came to the conclusion that all motion was relative to some other motion. Specifically, the motion of an object, in time and space, can only be determined relative to the motion of some other object in time and space. In other words, Einstein theorized that there is no universal x-t plane or map on which all physical motion can be plotted. Since this tends to go against our intuition, it requires some serious thought to believe this statement!


The idea that there is no absolute reference frame in the universe was first suggested by Einstein in the early part of this century, and forms the basis of his two theories of relativity (general and special relativity). Both theories of relativity have so far been supported by many experiments and observations performed over the past century. For a good description and some insights into these theories, consult the books: Conceptual Physics by Paul G. Hewitt. Other understandable descriptions of the basics concepts of relativity may be found in paper back books: The Dancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav and Understanding Einstein's Theories of Relativity by Stan Gibilisco (ISBN 0-8306-1505-9)



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