relativity of simultaneity

E8631

Relativity of simultaneity is the special relativity principle that events judged simultaneous in one inertial frame may occur at different times in another moving frame, showing that simultaneity is not absolute.

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Observed surface forms (1)


Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf concept in special relativity
physical principle
appearsIn On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies
surface form: Einstein's 1905 paper on special relativity
appliesTo inertial observers in relative motion
assumes Einstein synchronization convention
surface form: Einstein light-signal synchronization procedure
category relativistic effect
temporal relativity principle
concerns temporal ordering of spacelike-separated events
contradicts Newtonian absolute time
dependsOn Lorentz transformation
surface form: Lorentz transformations

finite speed of light
describes frame-dependence of simultaneity
distinguishes classical mechanics from relativistic mechanics
doesNotAffect temporal ordering of timelike-separated events
field physics
formulatedBy Albert Einstein
formulationYear 1905
hasConsequence breakdown of global simultaneity slices shared by all observers
different observers can disagree on temporal order of spacelike-separated events
no universal present moment
hasPhilosophicalImplication challenge to presentism in philosophy of time
support for four-dimensional block universe view
illustratedBy relativity of simultaneity self-linksurface differs
surface form: Einstein train-and-platform thought experiment

lightning strike thought experiment
implies moving clocks that are synchronized in one frame are not synchronized in another
no preferred inertial frame for defining simultaneity
simultaneity is frame-dependent
simultaneity is not absolute
isAspectOf relativistic nature of time
spacetime structure in special relativity
mathematicallyExpressedBy time component of Lorentz transformation
relatedTo Einstein synchronization convention
Lorentz group
surface form: Lorentz invariance

Minkowski space-time
surface form: Minkowski spacetime

inertial reference frames
length contraction
time dilation
requires constant speed of light in all inertial frames
principle of relativity
states events simultaneous in one inertial frame may not be simultaneous in another
subfield special relativity
usedIn interpretation of spacetime diagrams
relativistic causality analysis
relativistic kinematics
visualizedBy tilted lines of simultaneity in Minkowski diagrams

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

theory of relativity coreConcept relativity of simultaneity
relativity of simultaneity illustratedBy relativity of simultaneity self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Einstein train-and-platform thought experiment
special relativity implies relativity of simultaneity
Einstein synchronization convention relatedConcept relativity of simultaneity