What is the space time continuum?
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Imagine a movie reel with everything in the universe that’s happened and (will happen?). Every point in time is a frame and when you stack these frames over each other, you get this infinitely long column. That is the space time continuum in essence. Let me see if I can explain it better..
We see the world in 3 dimensions- length breadth and height. Time is also a dimension but we cannot see it. We can observe it’s effect, like aging and moving. However another being that can see all 4 dimension will see the world differently. Imagine a ball moving from A to B. At every point in time we see it as “O”.
A_O_____________B
A_____O_________B
A_________O_____B
A_____________O_B
However this being that can see time will see it as..
A ([[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]))))) B
All the frames, together.
Now imagine every thing in the universe from when it began to the end. It will look like extremely long unbroken, continuous strings of things intertwining and weaving from start to finish.
That is the space time continuum.
Edit:
So why is it important? Well it provides a reference for each other. Like say you want to meet a friend, you tell him the place and not the time. You both might be there but at different times. Or if you both decide on a time but not the place, then you’ll technically be somewhere at the same time but not necessarily at the same place.
So we plan things based on space time- we tell them the point in space we’re meeting and the time. That makes it easier for you to meet each other and similarly, makes it easier to understand and study the universe.
If we see a car moving at 60km/ hour moving on a straight road, then we can infer that it was 60 km away an hour ago.
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