Simultaneity

Event B is simultaneous with A in the green reference frame, but it occurred before in the blue frame, and will occur later in the red frame. Main article: Relativity of simultaneity The relativity of simultaneity is the concept that simultaneity is not absolute, but dependent on the observer. That is, according to the special theory of relativity formulated by Albert Einstein in 1905, it is impossible to say in an absolute sense whether two events occur at the same time if those events are separated in space. Where the event

From the first equation of the Lorentz transformation in terms of coordinate differences

it is clear that two events that are simultaneous in frame S (satisfying ), are not necessarily simultaneous in another inertial frame S' (satisfying ). Only if these events are colocal in frame S (satisfying ), will they be simultaneous in another frame S'.

<<Table of Contents Special relativity (also known as the special theory of relativity or STR) is the physical theory of measurement in inertial frames of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein (after the considerable and independent contributions of Hendrik Lorentz, Henri Poincaré and others) in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" | Next>> | Show All>>

 

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