PHY190 Lecture #8

November 8, 2006
R5.2 Curved Worldlines in Spacetime
Can perform the same operation in spacetime.
d 2 ds2 = dt2 dx2 dy 2 dz 2
Consider small series of worldline segments then have a series of essentially inertial frames and conclude d ds.
Do same trick as we did in to measure length of footpath in space:
p
d = 1 (dx/dt)2 (dy/dt)2 (dz/dt)2 dt
But this can easily be translated into something we are more familiar with:
p
d = 1 v 2 dt;
v 2 = (dx/dt)2 + (dy/dt)2 + (dz/dt)2
This gives the infinitesimal propertime interval (as approximated by the infinitesimal spacetime interval).
Then we can just sum these intervals up to get:
Z

tB

1 v 2 dt

AB =
tA

If the speed is constant then we can just write:

AB =

1 v 2 tAB

Note: Does not require velocity be constant, just the speed, only (dx//dt)2 (ie. magnitude) appears in metric.
Will often see this referred to as the time dilation formula (for constant speed).
(a) Note that for v > 1, AB becomes imaginary. Our derivation of the metric equation is only valid when t > d
(ie. a clock can be at both events, while traveling at v < 1).
(b) Equation links the two time intervals (Coordinate time; t in the home frame and Proper time; in the other frame).
(c) Time interval is measured between the same pair of events. The same events seen by both observers.
ExR5.1 Whirling Clock
Person at rest in an inertial frame
Swinging a clock at the end of a 3m rope (constant orbital velocity)
Friend compares readings on the moving clock, to a stationary clock
Finds moving clock is measuring time intervals that are 0.01% shorter than stationary clock.
What is the time for one rotation of the whirling clock?
Answer:

Event A: First passage of whirling clock

Event B: Second passage of whirling clock
Whirling clock measures proper time interval AB in a non-inertial frame (rotating).
Stationary clock also measures a proper time interval (in home frame), but in an inertial (stationary) frame.
Stationary clock gives the coordinate time interval in home frame.
We know that the whirling clock measures a time interval that is 99.99% of the home frame coordinate time interval.
p
AB = 1 v 2 tAB = 0.9999tAB

Solving this gives v = 1 0.99992 = 0.014

This means the whirling clock must be moving at 1.4% of the speed of light!

 It is rotating at the end of a 3m string, so each orbit has a length:

r = 3m/(3 108 m/s) = 1 108 s

SR units!

Thus the coordinate time for one revolution is:

tAB = 2r/v = 2(1 108 )/0.014 4.4 106 s
The rotating clock is making more than 200,000 rotations per second. Better be a strong string.
Lesson: Very difficult to make even an 0.01% difference in time intervals for human scale objects.
R5.3 Binomial Approximations
Last example makes clear that we will often deal with situations where v  1. (eg. v 108 v 2 1016 ).

Can become difficult for even the most advanced calculators (eg. 1 1016 = 1.000)
Use the binomial theorem to approximate this reliably:
(1 + x)a = 1 + ax + a(a 1)/2x2 + a(a 1)(a 2)/3!x3 + ...
Can use just the first non-1 term for x  1 and get a good approximation
In particular:
p

1 v 2 1 + 1/2(v 2 ) = 1 1/2v 2

R5.4 Spacetime interval is longest possible propertime

Have seen how propertime depends on the worldline followed by the clock
Following our geometric analogy might be tempted to believe that the shortest propertime between tow events a straight
line on a spacetime diagram might be the spacetime interval
Turns out the straight worldline between two events is the longest possible propertime but it is the spacetime interval
between these events.
Proof:
Consider two events A and B, measure the time interval between them with an inertial clock, I, and a non-inertial clock,
N I.
I measures the spacetime interval, sAB (definition)
N I measures some other propertime interval, AB .
Choose to measure the events in a frame where I is at rest (home frame)
Could do this for any inertial frame, but since this is the spacetime interval it will be the same for all inertial frames.
This is the easiest interval to evaluate the one where the clock in stationary.
Rt
Calculate: AB = tAB (1 v 2 )1/2 dt
I: has v = 0 so 1 v 2 = 1 and I = t s
N I: for at least some of the time between tA and tB v 6= 0 and so

1 v 2 < 1 N I < I s

We chose a specific frame for I, but know that in frame chosen s is frame independent so N I < s for all N I frames.
So straight worldline between two events on a spacetime diagram is the worldline of greatest propertime between the events:
I ( s) > N I
Because of the minus sign in the metric straight worldlines correspond to the largest possible spacetime intervals, while in
normal Pythagorean geometry they correspond to the minimum distance.

Also from = 1 v 2 t we t s
That is only if v = 0 will they be equal, ie. events that happen at the same point in space in the inertial frame.
Can thus establish the full hierarchy:
t s
first equality holds if x = 0 and second equality holds if the clock used to measure the propertime follows an inertial path.