What does the time coordinate represent in spacetime?

Naty1

What george describes above is this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_synchronisation

but that is only ONE interpretation of what the 'elasped time' means. Kind of like 'left' and 'right' so we can discuss things less ambiguously. That is merely a convention, not really what "the time means".

Naty1 Recognitions: Gold Member	What george describes above is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_synchronisation but that is only ONE interpretation of what the 'elasped time' means. Kind of like 'left' and 'right' so we can discuss things less ambiguously. That is merely a convention, not really what "the time means".