Spacetime of Flatland: Exploring a 2D Universe

In summary, this person is trying to understand spacetime and how it might look for a flat world. They are using videos and readings to help them understand.
  • #1
Gabriele99
5
0
I started this post on physics.stackexchange but it's too vague for that site, so here I am! :)

I'm trying to really get the intuition of spacetime.

This video explains how Minkoswki was the first to think that maybe our universe does not consist of a 3d space which evolves in time, but rather a 4d non-euclidean mathematical space, Minkowski spacetime.

Not even to say this made no sense for me.
Head hurts when I think of non-euclidean spaces and 4,or more, dimensions.

So, I made some more caotic researches, watched other videos and I bumped into this explanationwhich resulted more intuitive and understandable.

This video, showed how spacetime whould have looked for a 2d event, as time passes. It blew my mind.

As soon as I finished this video I remembered about this book I read "FlatLand", which is about some 2d creatures who live in a 2d world, and so, I started wondering what would have spacetime looked like for this 2d space world, hoping it would help to clarify the concept, or to make it more "accesible".

In any way, I've just a small background in special relativity and some videos, and some spare readings behind my back, so I don't know if I can really dig into this with my current knowledge.

In the end, I'm just curious if anyone else have used this kind of help to initially understand this concept and if it can be a good way to start.

Can spacetime be thought for a flat world? How much would resemble the idea behind our 4d spacetime? What would light look like there? and, Could I ideally graph spacetime from a 2d big-bang to a certain time?
I don't expect these questions to be answered, I'm just asking if is lecit and useful to discuss about something like that and maybe to open a discussion.
 
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  • #2
Gabriele99 said:
In the end, I'm just curious if anyone else have used this kind of help to initially understand this concept and if it can be a good way to start.
Yes, most spacetime diagrams are drawn with 1 dimension of space and 1 dimension of time. However diagrams with 2 dimensions of space and 1 dimension of time are also common. It is a very good approach to start!
 
  • #3
since we are using "flatland" as the reference point you might want to explicitly restrict interactions to only the 2D. since in the book a 3D object was allowed to interact. if that is possible then the gravity of an object outside the the 2D land could change the physics of the world
 

1. What is the concept of "spacetime" in the 2D universe of Flatland?

The concept of "spacetime" in the 2D universe of Flatland refers to the combination of space and time as a unified continuum. In this 2D universe, objects can only move in two dimensions - forward/backward and left/right - and time is perceived as a sequence of static moments. This is in contrast to our 3D universe, where objects can move in three dimensions and time is perceived as a continuous flow.

2. How is the geometry of Flatland different from our 3D universe?

In Flatland, the geometry is fundamentally different from our 3D universe. While we live in a three-dimensional world, the inhabitants of Flatland can only perceive and interact with objects in two dimensions. This means that their world is governed by different mathematical principles and shapes, such as circles and squares, behave differently than they do in our 3D universe.

3. Can we ever visit or observe the 2D universe of Flatland?

The concept of Flatland is purely theoretical and does not exist in our physical world. However, researchers and scientists have used mathematical models and computer simulations to explore and understand the properties of a 2D universe. While we cannot physically visit or observe Flatland, these simulations and models provide valuable insights into this hypothetical world.

4. How does gravity work in the 2D universe of Flatland?

In the 2D universe of Flatland, the concept of gravity is fundamentally different from our 3D universe. Instead of objects being pulled towards a central point, as in our world, gravity in Flatland works by objects being attracted towards each other based on their mass and distance. This means that objects in Flatland can orbit each other and experience gravitational forces in a similar way to our 3D universe.

5. How does time dilation work in the 2D universe of Flatland?

In the 2D universe of Flatland, time dilation would still occur, but in a different way than in our 3D universe. As objects in Flatland can only move in two dimensions, their speed is limited and therefore time would pass at a slower rate for them compared to objects in our 3D universe. This means that time would appear to move faster for us when observing objects in Flatland, just as it does for an observer in our 3D universe watching objects move at high speeds.

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