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Lightlike vs Timelike - What's the difference?

lightlike | timelike |

As adjectives the difference between lightlike and timelike

is that lightlike is (of a four-vector) having a space component whose magnitude is equal to its time component multiplied by the speed of light while timelike is of a four-vector in representing a point in spacetime, having a positive four-vector norm.

lightlike

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (mathematics) (of a four-vector ) having a space component whose magnitude is equal to its time component multiplied by the speed of light

    • See also

    * spacelike * timelike

    timelike

    English

    Alternative forms

    * time-like

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (mathematics, physics) Of a four-vector in representing a point in spacetime, having a positive four-vector norm.
  • (physics) (of the interval between two events in spacetime ) Having overlapping light cones, so that information can pass from one to the other, and one can be envisaged as a cause of the other.

    • Derived terms

    * timelike component * timelike congruence * timelike path * future directed timelike vector * past directed timelike vector * timelikeness * timelike vector field

    See also

    * lightlike * spacelike