Space

A right-handed three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system used to indicate positions in space

Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions.[1] In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum known as spacetime.[2] The concept of space is considered to be of fundamental importance to an understanding of the physical universe. However, disagreement continues between philosophers over whether it is itself an entity, a relationship between entities, or part of a conceptual framework.

In the 19th and 20th centuries mathematicians began to examine geometries that are non-Euclidean, in which space is conceived as curved, rather than flat, as in the Euclidean space. According to Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, space around gravitational fields deviates from Euclidean space.[3] Experimental tests of general relativity have confirmed that non-Euclidean geometries provide a better model for the shape of space.

  1. ^ "Space – Physics and Metaphysics". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
  2. ^ Bunyadzade, Konul (15 March 2018). "Thoughts of Time" (PDF). Metafizika Journal (in Azerbaijani). 1. AcademyGate Publishing: 8–29. doi:10.33864/MTFZK.2019.0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  3. ^ Carnap, R. (1995). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. New York: Dove. (Original edition: Philosophical Foundations of Physics. New York: Basic books, 1966).