Temporal Interpretation
If the w-coordinate of the equation of the spherical cone is interpreted as the distance ct, where t is coordinate time and c is the speed of light (a constant), then it is the shape of the light cone in special relativity. In this case, the equation is usually written as:
which is also the equation for spherical wave fronts of light. The upper nappe is then the future light cone and the lower nappe is the past light cone.
Read more about this topic: Spherical Cone
Famous quotes containing the word temporal:
“Listen to any musical phrase or rhythm, and grasp it as a whole, and you thereupon have present in you the image, so to speak, of the divine knowledge of the temporal order.”
—Josiah Royce (1855–1916)