What is Frame of reference: Definition and 203 Discussions

In physics, a frame of reference (or reference frame) consists of an abstract coordinate system and the set of physical reference points that uniquely fix (locate and orient) the coordinate system and standardize measurements within that frame.
For n dimensions, n + 1 reference points are sufficient to fully define a reference frame. Using rectangular (Cartesian) coordinates, a reference frame may be defined with a reference point at the origin and a reference point at one unit distance along each of the n coordinate axes.
In Einsteinian relativity, reference frames are used to specify the relationship between a moving observer and the phenomenon or phenomena under observation. In this context, the phrase often becomes "observational frame of reference" (or "observational reference frame"), which implies that the observer is at rest in the frame, although not necessarily located at its origin. A relativistic reference frame includes (or implies) the coordinate time, which does not equate across different frames moving relatively to each other. The situation thus differs from Galilean relativity, where all possible coordinate times are essentially equivalent.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. W

    Understanding Newton's Law: Motion of a Bird in a Rotating Frame of Reference

    An observer standing on the observation deck of the CN tower watches a bird fly by a rotating merry go round on the ground. Draw the path of the bird's flight as seen by the observer, with the merry go round as the frame of reference. In order to account for the motion of the bird using the...
  2. K

    Hey, how predictable is a frame of reference going faster than c?

    Yo, d00dz, I'm just starting an introductory quantum physics class, so this'll probably be childishly foolish to some of you, but the risk of sounding childish has yet to stop me from saying something on the internet It seems like the transformations of special relativity just break down at...
Back
Top