Minkowski Space
The flat four-dimensional spacetime manifold combining 3D Euclidean space and time used to formulate Special Relativity.
Governing formula
ds² = -c² dt² + dx² + dy² + dz²
SI unit
Flat 4D Spacetime Metric
In depth
Developed by Hermann Minkowski in 1908. Features a flat metric tensor η_μν with signature (-+++) where the invariant spacetime interval ds² separates events into timelike (ds² < 0), lightlike (ds² = 0), and spacelike (ds² > 0) regions.
Examples in the real world
Constructing Minkowski light cones to visualize past and future causal structures in special relativity.