We can approach the idea of space in a corresponding manner, though some
may regard the attempt as rather fantastical.
According to these ideas, the word “Relativity-Postulate” which has been
coined for the demands of invariance in the group G, seems to be rather
inexpressive for a true understanding of the group G_{_c_}, and for
further progress. Because the sense of the postulate is that the
four-dimensional world is given in space and time by phenomena only, but
the projection in time and space can be handled with a certain freedom,
and therefore I would rather like to give to this assertion the name
“_The Postulate of the Absolute world_” [World-Postulate].
III
By the world-postulate a similar treatment of the four determining
quantities _x_, _y_, _z_, _t_, of a world-point is possible. Thereby the
forms under which the physical laws come forth, gain in intelligibility,
as I shall presently show. Above all, the idea of acceleration becomes
much more striking and clear.
I shall again use the geometrical method of expression. Let us call any
world-point O as a “Space-time-null-point.” The cone
_c²__t²_ - _x²_ - _y²_ - _z²_ = O
consists of two parts with O as apex, one part having _t_ < 0, the other
having _t_ > 0. The first, which we may call _the fore-cone_ consists of
all those points which send light towards O, the second, which we may
call _the aft-cone_, consists of all those points which receive their
light from O. The region bounded by the fore-cone may be called the
fore-side of O, and the region bounded by the aft-cone may be called the
aft-side of O. (_Vide_ fig. 2).
On the aft-side of O we have the already considered hyperboloidal shell
F = _c²__t²_ - _x²_ - _y²_ - _z²_ = 1, _t_ > 0.
The region inside the two cones will be occupied by the hyperboloid of
one sheet
-F = _x²_ + _y²_ + _z²_ - _c²__t²_ = _k²_,
where _k²_ can have all possible positive values. The hyperbolas which
lie upon this figure with O as centre, are important for us. For the
sake of clearness the individual branches of this hyperbola will be
called the “_Inter-hyperbola with centre O_.” Such a hyperbolic branch,
when thought of as a world-line, would represent a motion which for _t_
= -∞ and _t_ = ∞, asymptotically approaches the velocity of light _c_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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