In physics, more particular relativity, an event indicates a physical situation or occurence, located at a specific point in space and time. For example, a glass breaking on the floor is an event: it is occuring at a unique place and a unique time, in a given frame of reference.[1] Strictly speaking, the notion of an event is an idealisation, in the sense that it specifies a definite time and place, whereas any actual event is bound to have a finite extend, both in time and in space.[2] One of the goals of relativity, is to specify the possibility of one event to influence the other. This is done by means of the metric tensor, which allows for determining the causal structure of spacetime. The difference (or interval) between two events can be classified into spacelike, lightlike and timelike separation. Only if two events are separated by a lightlike or timelike interval, they can influence each other.
References
- ^ A.P. French (1968), Special Relativity, MIT Introductory Physics Series, CRC Press, ISBN 0748764224, p 86
- ^ Leo Sartori (1996), Understanding relativity: a simplified approach to Einstein's theories, University of California Press, ISBN 0520200292, p 9
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