Relativity and Space-Time Geometry

Abstract

The space-time structure appears in the framing of the fundamental laws, and the nature of that structure is, in a broad sense of the term, geometrical. Since the body is at some point of absolute space at each moment of time, there will be a collection of the points that constitute the path through absolute space that the body takes. I. Newton’s theory uses the persistence of points of absolute space through time to associate features of motions with geometrical properties of lines in absolute space. The light cone at each point effects a division of the space-time into five distinct regions: the region inside the future light cone, on the future light cone, inside the past light cone, on the past light cone, and outside the light cone. Space-time structure in General Relativity is connected to observable behavior in the same way as in Special Relativity.