Vesselin Petkov Boeken

Puts the emphasis on conceptual questions: Why is there no such thing as absolute motion? What is the physical meaning of relativity of simultaneity? But, the most important question that is addressed in this book is „what is the nature of spacetime?“ or, equivalently, „what is the dimensionality of the world at the macroscopic level?“ Develops answers to these questions via a thorough analysis of relativistic effects and explicitly asking whether the objects involved in those effects are three-dimensional or four-dimensional. Discusses the implication of the result (this analysis clearly shows that if the world and the physical objects were three-dimensional, none of the kinematic relativistic effects and the experimental evidence supporting them would be possible) for physics, philosophy, and our entire world view are discussed.

This collection includes the papers that laid the foundations of spacetime H. A. Lorentz, Michelson’s Interference Experiment; H. A. Lorentz, Electromagnetic Phenomena in a System Moving with any Velocity Smaller than that of Light; H. Poincaré, Sur la dynamique de l’électron (5 June 1905); H. Poincaré, Sur la dynamique de l’électron (23 July 1905); A. Einstein, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies; A. Einstein, Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy Content? H. Minkowski, Space and Time; A. Einstein, On the Influence of Gravitation on the Propagation of Light; A. Einstein, The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity; A. Einstein, Cosmological Considerations on the General Theory of Relativity; W. de Sitter, On the Curvature of Space; A. A. Friedmann, On the Curvature of Space; G. Lemaître, Expansion of the Universe, A Homogeneous Universe of Constant Mass and Increasing Radius Accounting for the Radial Velocity of Extra-Galactic Nebulæ. The texts are typeset in LaTeX.

Focusing on Hermann Minkowski's groundbreaking ideas, the book explores seven essential concepts in spacetime physics, including spacetime itself, inertial and accelerated motion, and the nature of inertia. It also delves into relativistic mass, gravitation, gravitational waves, and black holes, addressing common misconceptions and confusion surrounding these topics. Each concept is presented to enhance understanding of the complexities of spacetime physics.

Celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the 1909 publication of Minkowski’s seminal paper "Space and Time", this volume includes a fresh translation as well as the original in German, and a number of contributed papers on the still-controversial subject.

Dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's discovery of spacetime, this volume contains papers, most presented at the Third International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime, that address some of the deepest questions in physics.