Absolute space and time

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/absolute-space-and-time

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the newtonian postulate?Space and time are absolute, independent, and uniform
2. What is the special relativity's core tenet?The speed of light is constant for all inertial observers
3. Why did scientists think space and time were absolute?Scientists liked the idea because Newton’s laws, which use absolute space and time, could predict how planets move and how thrown balls travel very accurately.
4. How did Einstein change the idea of space and time?Einstein showed that when things move very fast, the clock of the moving thing runs slower and its length shrinks, so space and time are not fixed but depend on how you move. He also said gravity bends the fabric of space and time instead of pulling on objects.

Inertial Frame of Reference: A frame of reference where Newton's first law of motion holds true; no acceleration.
Time Dilation: The slowing down of time for an observer moving at high speeds relative to another observer.
Length Contraction: The shortening of an object in the direction of motion as observed by someone in a different frame of reference.