What did Plato write about space in the Timaeus?
Plato wrote the Timaeus in antiquity, asking whether space exists as a container or merely as a relationship between things. He questioned if space is an independent entity or a relational construct.
Questions about Space
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did Isaac Newton publish Principia Mathematica and what was his theory of absolute space?
Isaac Newton published Principia Mathematica in 1687, establishing absolute space as permanent and independent of matter. He used a spinning bucket experiment to prove that non-inertial motion generates forces relative to space itself rather than just other objects.
How did János Bolyai and Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky contribute to hyperbolic geometry around 1830?
János Bolyai published treatises on hyperbolic geometry around 1830, allowing infinite parallel lines through any point. Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky developed similar ideas independently, showing triangle angles sum to less than 180 degrees.
On which date did LIGO scientists report direct observation of gravitational waves?
LIGO scientists reported direct observation of these waves on the 14th of September 2015 after decades of indirect evidence from the Hulse-Taylor binary system. This confirmed predictions about gravitational wave ripples traveling through curved spacetime described by general relativity.
What is the International System of Units definition for one meter regarding light speed?
The International System of Units defines one meter as light traveling vacuum during exactly 1/299792458 seconds. This standard links spatial measurement directly to the constant speed of light in a vacuum.