Minkowski space-time  (mĭn-kôk'skē) Pronunciation Key
A four-dimensional space-time with no curvature, assumed in the theory of Special Relativity. The curved space-time of General Relativity appears to be a Minkowski space-time at any given point near an observer, much as the Earth appears basically flat in the vicinity of someone standing on a plain. Minkowski space-time is named for Russian-born German mathematician Hermann Minkowski (1864-1909). |