View source for Space

{{Short description|Framework of distances and directions}}
{{about|the general framework of distance and direction|the space beyond Earth's atmosphere|Outer space|the writing separator|Space (punctuation)|other uses|Space&nbsp;(disambiguation)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
[[File:3D coordinate system.svg|thumb|right|A right-handed three-dimensional [[Cartesian coordinate system]] used to indicate positions in space<!--(See diagram description for needed correction.)-->]]

'''Space''' is a [[Three-dimensional space|three-dimensional]] continuum containing [[position (geometry)|positions]] and [[direction (geometry)|directions]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068962/space|title=Space – Physics and Metaphysics|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=28 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506121655/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068962/space|archive-date=6 May 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[classical physics]], physical space is often conceived in three [[linear]] [[dimension]]s. [[Modern physicist]]s usually consider it, with [[time]], to be part of a boundless [[four-dimensional]] [[Continuum (theory)|continuum]] known as ''[[spacetime]]''.<ref name="metafizika">{{cite journal|last1=Bunyadzade |first1=Konul |title=Thoughts of Time |url=https://metafizikajurnali.az/yukle/files/Vol.1-8%281%29.pdf |journal=[[Metafizika Journal]] |publisher=AcademyGate Publishing |access-date=2018-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405102207/https://metafizikajurnali.az/yukle/files/Vol.1-8(1).pdf |archive-date=5 Apr 2019 |pages=8–29 |language=az |doi=10.33864/MTFZK.2019.0 |date=2018-03-15 |volume=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> The concept of space is considered to be of fundamental importance to an understanding of the physical [[universe]]. However, disagreement continues between [[philosophers]] over whether it is itself an entity, a relationship between entities, or part of a [[conceptual framework]].

In the 19th and 20th centuries mathematicians began to examine geometries that are [[Non-Euclidean geometry|non-Euclidean]], in which space is conceived as ''[[space curvature|curved]]'', rather than ''[[flat space|flat]]'', as in the [[Euclidean space]]. According to [[Albert Einstein]]'s theory of [[general relativity]], space around [[gravitational field]]s deviates from Euclidean space.<ref>Carnap, R. (1995). ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science''. New York: Dove. (Original edition: ''Philosophical Foundations of Physics''. New York: Basic books, 1966).</ref> Experimental [[tests of general relativity]] have confirmed that non-Euclidean geometries provide a better model for the shape of space.

== Philosophy of space ==

Debates concerning the nature, essence and the mode of existence of space date back to antiquity; namely, to treatises like the ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' of [[Plato]], or [[Socrates]] in his reflections on what the Greeks called ''[[khôra]]'' (i.e. "space"), or in the ''[[Physics (Aristotle)|Physics]]'' of [[Aristotle]] (Book IV, Delta) in the definition of ''topos'' (i.e. place), or in the later "geometrical conception of place" as "space ''qua'' extension" in the ''Discourse on Place'' (''Qawl fi al-Makan'') of the 11th-century Arab [[polymath]] [[Alhazen]].<ref>Refer to Plato's ''Timaeus'' in the Loeb Classical Library, [[Harvard University]], and to his reflections on ''khora''. See also Aristotle's ''Physics'', Book IV, Chapter 5, on the definition of ''topos''. Concerning Ibn al-Haytham's 11th century conception of "geometrical place" as "spatial extension", which is akin to [[Descartes]]' and Leibniz's 17th century notions of ''extensio'' and ''analysis situs'', and his own mathematical refutation of Aristotle's definition of ''topos'' in natural philosophy, refer to: [[Nader El-Bizri]], "In Defence of the Sovereignty of Philosophy: al-Baghdadi's Critique of Ibn al-Haytham's Geometrisation of Place", ''Arabic Sciences and Philosophy'' ([[Cambridge University Press]]), Vol. 17 (2007), pp. 57–80.</ref> Many of these classical philosophical questions were discussed in the [[Renaissance]] and then reformulated in the 17th century, particularly during the early development of [[classical mechanics]]. In [[Isaac Newton]]'s view, space was absolute—in the sense that it existed permanently and independently of whether there was any matter in the space.<ref>French, A.J.; Ebison, M.G. (1986). ''Introduction to Classical Mechanics''. Dordrecht: Springer, p. 1.</ref> Other [[natural philosopher]]s, notably [[Gottfried Leibniz]], thought instead that space was in fact a collection of relations between objects, given by their [[distance]] and [[direction (geometry)|direction]] from one another. In the 18th century, the philosopher and theologian [[George Berkeley]] attempted to refute the "visibility of spatial depth" in his ''Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision''. Later, the [[metaphysic]]ian [[Immanuel Kant]] said that the concepts of space and time are not empirical ones derived from experiences of the outside world—they are elements of an already given systematic framework that humans possess and use to structure all experiences. Kant referred to the experience of "space" in his ''[[Critique of Pure Reason]]'' as being a subjective "pure ''[[a priori and a posteriori|a priori]]'' form of intuition".

=== Galileo ===
[[Galileo Galilei|Galilean]] and [[René Descartes|Cartesian]] theories about space, matter, and motion are at the foundation of the [[Scientific Revolution]], which is understood to have culminated with the publication of [[Isaac Newton|Newton]]'s ''[[Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica|Principia Mathematica]]'' in 1687.<ref name="Huggett-1999">{{Cite book|title=Space from Zeno to Einstein: classic readings with a contemporary commentary|date=1999|publisher=MIT Press|editor=Huggett, Nick |isbn=978-0-585-05570-1|location=Cambridge, MA |oclc=42855123|bibcode = 1999sze..book.....H}}</ref> Newton's theories about space and time helped him explain the movement of objects. While his theory of space is considered the most influential in physics, it emerged from his predecessors' ideas about the same.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Janiak|first=Andrew|year=2015|title=Space and Motion in Nature and Scripture: Galileo, Descartes, Newton|journal=Studies in History and Philosophy of Science|volume=51|pages=89–99|pmid=26227236|doi=10.1016/j.shpsa.2015.02.004|bibcode=2015SHPSA..51...89J}}</ref>

As one of the pioneers of [[modern science]], Galileo revised the established [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelian]] and [[Ptolemy|Ptolemaic]] ideas about a [[Geocentric model|geocentric]] cosmos. He backed the [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Copernican]] theory that the universe was [[Heliocentrism|heliocentric]], with a stationary Sun at the center and the planets—including the Earth—revolving around the Sun. If the Earth moved, the Aristotelian belief that its natural tendency was to remain at rest was in question. Galileo wanted to prove instead that the Sun moved around its axis, that motion was as natural to an object as the state of rest. In other words, for Galileo, celestial bodies, including the Earth, were naturally inclined to move in circles. This view displaced another Aristotelian idea—that all objects gravitated towards their designated natural place-of-belonging.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Time and space|last=Dainton |first=Barry |date=2001|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|isbn=978-0-7735-2302-9|location=Montreal|oclc=47691120}}</ref>

=== René Descartes ===
[[René Descartes|Descartes]] set out to replace the Aristotelian worldview with a theory about space and motion as determined by [[natural law]]s. In other words, he sought a [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] foundation or a [[Mechanics|mechanical]] explanation for his theories about matter and motion. [[Cartesian space]] was [[Euclidean space|Euclidean]] in structure—infinite, uniform and flat.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Time and Space|last=Dainton|first=Barry|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|year=2014|pages=164}}</ref> It was defined as that which contained matter; conversely, matter by definition had a spatial extension so that there was no such thing as empty space.<ref name="Huggett-1999" />

The Cartesian notion of space is closely linked to his theories about the nature of the body, mind and matter. He is famously known for his "cogito ergo sum" (I think therefore I am), or the idea that we can only be certain of the fact that we can doubt, and therefore think and therefore exist. His theories belong to the [[Rationalism|rationalist]] tradition, which attributes knowledge about the world to our ability to think rather than to our experiences, as the [[Empiricism|empiricists]] believe.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Descartes: a very short introduction|last=Tom.|first=Sorell|date=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-154036-3|location=Oxford|oclc=428970574}}</ref> He posited a clear distinction between the body and mind, which is referred to as the [[Mind–body dualism|Cartesian dualism]].

=== Leibniz and Newton ===
[[File:Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Bernhard Christoph Francke.jpg|[[Gottfried Leibniz]]|upright|thumb]]
Following Galileo and Descartes, during the seventeenth century the [[philosophy of space and time]] revolved around the ideas of [[Gottfried Leibniz]], a German philosopher–mathematician, and [[Isaac Newton]], who set out two opposing theories of what space is. Rather than being an entity that independently exists over and above other matter, Leibniz held that space is no more than the collection of spatial relations between objects in the world: "space is that which results from places taken together".<ref>Leibniz, Fifth letter to Samuel Clarke. By H.G. Alexander (1956). ''The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence''. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 55–96.</ref> Unoccupied regions are those that ''could'' have objects in them, and thus spatial relations with other places. For Leibniz, then, space was an idealised [[abstraction]] from the relations between individual entities or their possible locations and therefore could not be [[continuous probability distribution|continuous]] but must be [[discrete probability distribution|discrete]].<ref>Vailati, E. (1997). ''Leibniz & Clarke: A Study of Their Correspondence''. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 115.</ref>
Space could be thought of in a similar way to the relations between family members. Although people in the family are related to one another, the relations do not exist independently of the people.<ref>Sklar, L. (1992). ''Philosophy of Physics''. Boulder: Westview Press, p. 20.</ref>
Leibniz argued that space could not exist independently of objects in the world because that implies a difference between two universes exactly alike except for the location of the material world in each universe. But since there would be no observational way of telling these universes apart then, according to the [[identity of indiscernibles]], there would be no real difference between them. According to the [[principle of sufficient reason]], any theory of space that implied that there could be these two possible universes must therefore be wrong.<ref>Sklar, L. ''Philosophy of Physics''. p. 21.</ref>

[[Image:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|[[Isaac Newton]]|upright|thumb]]
Newton took space to be more than relations between material objects and based his position on [[observation]] and experimentation. For a [[Relational theory|relationist]] there can be no real difference between [[inertial frame of reference|inertial motion]], in which the object travels with constant [[velocity]], and [[non-inertial reference frame|non-inertial motion]], in which the velocity changes with time, since all spatial measurements are relative to other objects and their motions. But Newton argued that since non-inertial motion generates [[force]]s, it must be absolute.<ref>Sklar, L. ''Philosophy of Physics''. p. 22.</ref> He used the example of [[Bucket argument|water in a spinning bucket]] to demonstrate his argument. Water in a [[bucket]] is hung from a rope and set to spin, starts with a flat surface. After a while, as the bucket continues to spin, the surface of the water becomes concave. If the bucket's spinning is stopped then the surface of the water remains concave as it continues to spin. The concave surface is therefore apparently not the result of relative motion between the bucket and the water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Newton_bucket.html|title=Newton's bucket|work=st-and.ac.uk|access-date=20 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317062957/http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Newton_bucket.html|archive-date=17 March 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> Instead, Newton argued, it must be a result of non-inertial motion relative to space itself. For several centuries the bucket argument was considered decisive in showing that space must exist independently of matter.

=== Kant ===
[[Image:Immanuel Kant portrait c1790.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Immanuel Kant]]]]
In the eighteenth century the German philosopher [[Immanuel Kant]] developed a theory of [[knowledge]] in which knowledge about space can be both ''a priori'' and ''[[analytic-synthetic distinction|synthetic]]''.<ref>Carnap, R. ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science''. pp. 177–178.</ref> According to Kant, knowledge about space is ''synthetic'', in that statements about space are not simply true by virtue of the meaning of the words in the statement. In his work, Kant rejected the view that space must be either a substance or relation. Instead he came to the conclusion that space and time are not discovered by humans to be objective features of the world, but imposed by us as part of a framework for organizing experience.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lucas |first=John Randolph |author-link=John Lucas (philosopher) |title= Space, Time and Causality |page=149 |isbn=978-0-19-875057-4|year=1984 |publisher=Clarendon Press }}</ref>

=== Non-Euclidean geometry ===
{{main|Non-Euclidean geometry}}

[[Image:Sphere closed path.svg|thumb|150px|left|[[Spherical geometry]] is similar to [[elliptical geometry]]. On a [[sphere]] (the [[Surface (topology)|surface]] of a [[ball (mathematics)|ball]]) there are no [[parallel line]]s.]]Euclid's ''Elements'' contained five postulates that form the basis for Euclidean geometry. One of these, the [[parallel postulate]], has been the subject of debate among mathematicians for many centuries. It states that on any [[Plane (mathematics)|plane]] on which there is a straight line ''L<sub>1</sub>'' and a point ''P'' not on ''L<sub>1</sub>'', there is exactly one straight line ''L<sub>2</sub>'' on the plane that passes through the point ''P'' and is parallel to the straight line ''L<sub>1</sub>''. Until the 19th century, few doubted the truth of the postulate; instead debate centered over whether it was necessary as an axiom, or whether it was a theory that could be derived from the other axioms.<ref>Carnap, R. ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science''. p. 126.</ref> Around 1830 though, the Hungarian [[János Bolyai]] and the Russian [[Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky]] separately published treatises on a type of geometry that does not include the parallel postulate, called [[hyperbolic geometry]]. In this geometry, an [[Infinity|infinite]] number of parallel lines pass through the point ''P''. Consequently, the sum of angles in a triangle is less than 180° and the ratio of a [[circle]]'s [[circumference]] to its [[diameter]] is greater than [[pi]]. In the 1850s, [[Bernhard Riemann]] developed an equivalent theory of [[elliptical geometry]], in which no parallel lines pass through ''P''. In this geometry, triangles have more than 180° and circles have a ratio of circumference-to-diameter that is less than [[pi]].

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" style="text-align:center"
! style="width:100px" | Type of geometry || style="width:90px" | Number of parallels || style="width:100px" | Sum of angles in a triangle || style="width:120px" | Ratio of circumference to diameter of circle || style="width:90px" | Measure of curvature
|-
! Hyperbolic
| Infinite || < 180° || > π || < 0
|-
! Euclidean
| 1 || 180° || π || 0
|-
! Elliptical
| 0 || > 180° || < π || > 0
|}

=== Gauss and Poincaré ===
[[Image:Carl Friedrich Gauss.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Carl Friedrich Gauss]]]]
[[Image:Young Poincare.jpg|left|upright|thumb|[[Henri Poincaré]]]]

Although there was a prevailing Kantian consensus at the time, once non-Euclidean geometries had been formalised, some began to wonder whether or not physical space is curved. [[Carl Friedrich Gauss]], a German mathematician, was the first to consider an empirical investigation of the geometrical structure of space. He thought of making a test of the sum of the angles of an enormous stellar triangle, and there are reports that he actually carried out a test, on a small scale, by [[triangulation|triangulating]] mountain tops in Germany.<ref>Carnap, R. ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science''. pp. 134–136.</ref>

[[Henri Poincaré]], a French mathematician and physicist of the late 19th century, introduced an important insight in which he attempted to demonstrate the futility of any attempt to discover which geometry applies to space by experiment.<ref>Jammer, Max (1954). ''Concepts of Space. The History of Theories of Space in Physics''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p. 165.</ref> He considered the predicament that would face scientists if they were confined to the surface of an imaginary large sphere with particular properties, known as a [[sphere-world]]. In this world, the temperature is taken to vary in such a way that all objects expand and contract in similar proportions in different places on the sphere. With a suitable falloff in temperature, if the scientists try to use measuring rods to determine the sum of the angles in a triangle, they can be deceived into thinking that they inhabit a plane, rather than a spherical surface.<ref>A medium with a variable [[index of refraction]] could also be used to bend the path of light and again deceive the scientists if they attempt to use light to map out their geometry.</ref> In fact, the scientists cannot in principle determine whether they inhabit a plane or sphere and, Poincaré argued, the same is true for the debate over whether real space is Euclidean or not. For him, which geometry was used to describe space was a matter of [[Conventionalism|convention]].<ref>Carnap, R. ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science''. p. 148.</ref> Since [[Euclidean geometry]] is simpler than non-Euclidean geometry, he assumed the former would always be used to describe the 'true' geometry of the world.<ref>Sklar, L. ''Philosophy of Physics''. p. 57.</ref>

=== Einstein ===
[[Image:Albert Einstein Head.jpg|right|upright|thumb|[[Albert Einstein]]]]
In 1905, [[Albert Einstein]] published his [[special theory of relativity]], which led to the concept that space and time can be viewed as a single construct known as ''[[spacetime]]''. In this theory, the [[speed of light]] in [[vacuum]] is the same for all observers—which has [[relativity of simultaneity|the result]] that two events that appear simultaneous to one particular observer will not be simultaneous to another observer if the observers are moving with respect to one another. Moreover, an observer will measure a moving clock to [[time dilation|tick more slowly]] than one that is stationary with respect to them; and objects are measured [[length contraction|to be shortened]] in the direction that they are moving with respect to the observer.

Subsequently, Einstein worked on a [[general theory of relativity]], which is a theory of how [[gravity]] interacts with spacetime. Instead of viewing gravity as a [[Force field (physics)|force field]] acting in spacetime, Einstein suggested that it modifies the geometric structure of spacetime itself.<ref>Sklar, L. ''Philosophy of Physics''. p. 43.</ref> According to the general theory, time [[gravitational time dilation|goes more slowly]] at places with lower gravitational potentials and rays of light bend in the presence of a gravitational field. Scientists have studied the behaviour of [[binary pulsar]]s, confirming the predictions of Einstein's theories, and non-Euclidean geometry is usually used to describe spacetime.

== Mathematics ==
{{main|Three-dimensional space}}
{{broader|Space (mathematics)}}
In modern mathematics [[Mathematical space|spaces]] are defined as [[set (mathematics)|sets]] with some added structure. They are frequently described as different types of [[manifold]]s, which are spaces that locally approximate to Euclidean space, and where the properties are defined largely on local connectedness of points that lie on the manifold. There are however, many diverse mathematical objects that are called spaces. For example, [[vector space]]s such as [[function space]]s may have infinite numbers of independent dimensions and a notion of distance very different from Euclidean space, and [[topological space]]s replace the concept of distance with a more abstract idea of nearness.

== Physics ==
{{Classical mechanics|cTopic=Fundamental concepts}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
Space is one of the few [[fundamental quantity|fundamental quantities]] in [[physics]], meaning that it cannot be defined via other quantities because nothing more fundamental is known at the present. On the other hand, it can be related to other fundamental quantities. Thus, similar to other fundamental quantities (like time and [[mass]]), space can be explored via [[measurement]] and experiment.

Today, our [[three-dimensional space]] is viewed as embedded in a four-dimensional [[spacetime]], called [[Minkowski space]] (see [[special relativity]]). The idea behind spacetime is that time is [[hyperbolic-orthogonal]] to each of the three spatial dimensions.

=== Relativity ===
{{main|Theory of relativity}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
Before [[Albert Einstein]]'s work on relativistic physics, time and space were viewed as independent dimensions. Einstein's discoveries showed that due to relativity of motion our space and time can be mathematically combined into one object–[[spacetime]]. It turns out that distances in [[Spacetime#Space-like interval|space]] or in [[Spacetime#Time-like interval|time]] separately are not invariant with respect to Lorentz coordinate transformations, but distances in Minkowski space along [[spacetime interval]]s are—which justifies the name.

In addition, time and space dimensions should not be viewed as exactly equivalent in Minkowski space. One can freely move in space but not in time. Thus, time and space coordinates are treated differently both in [[special relativity]] (where time is sometimes considered an [[imaginary number|imaginary]] coordinate) and in [[general relativity]] (where different signs are assigned to time and space components of [[spacetime]] [[metric tensor|metric]]).

Furthermore, in [[Einstein's general theory of relativity]], it is postulated that spacetime is geometrically distorted – ''curved'' – near to gravitationally significant masses.<ref>Wheeler, John A. ''A Journey into Gravity and Spacetime''. Chapters 8 and 9, [[Scientific American]], {{ISBN|0-7167-6034-7}}</ref>

One consequence of this postulate, which follows from the equations of general relativity, is the prediction of moving ripples of spacetime, called [[gravitational wave]]s. While indirect evidence for these waves has been found (in the motions of the [[Hulse–Taylor binary]] system, for example) experiments attempting to directly measure these waves are ongoing at the [[LIGO]] and [[Virgo interferometer|Virgo]] collaborations. LIGO scientists reported the [[first observation of gravitational waves|first such direct observation of gravitational waves]] on 14 September 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Castelvecchi|first1=Davide|last2=Witze|first2=Alexandra|title=Einstein's gravitational waves found at last|url=http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361|access-date=12 January 2018|work=Nature News|date=11 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216095503/http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PRL">{{cite journal |collaboration=LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration |last1=Abbott |first1=Benjamin P. |title=Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger |journal=[[Phys. Rev. Lett.]] |volume=116 |issue=6 |pages=061102 |year=2016 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102 |arxiv=1602.03837 |bibcode=2016PhRvL.116f1102A |pmid=26918975|s2cid=124959784}}
*{{cite web |title=Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger |website=LIGO Scientific Collaboration |url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/system/media_files/binaries/301/original/detection-science-summary.pdf}}</ref>

=== Cosmology ===
{{main|Shape of the universe}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
Relativity theory leads to the [[cosmology|cosmological]] question of what shape the universe is, and where space came from. It appears that space was created in the [[Big Bang]], 13.8&nbsp;billion years ago<ref>
{{cite web
|title = Cosmic Detectives
|url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cosmic_detectives
|publisher = The European Space Agency (ESA)
|date = 2 April 2013
|access-date = 26 April 2013
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130405083228/http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cosmic_detectives
|archive-date = 5 April 2013
|url-status=live
|df = dmy-all
}}
</ref> and has been expanding ever since. The overall shape of space is not known, but space is known to be expanding very rapidly due to the [[Inflation (cosmology)|cosmic inflation]].

== Spatial measurement ==
{{main|Measurement}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
The measurement of ''physical space'' has long been important. Although earlier societies had developed measuring systems, the [[SI|International System of Units]], (SI), is now the most common system of units used in the measuring of space, and is almost universally used.

Currently, the standard space interval, called a standard meter or simply meter, is defined as the [[speed of light|distance traveled by light in vacuum]] during a time interval of exactly 1/299,792,458 of a second. This definition coupled with present definition of the second is based on the [[special theory of relativity]] in which the [[speed of light]] plays the role of a fundamental constant of nature.

== Geographical space ==
{{See also|Spatial analysis}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
[[Geography]] is the branch of science concerned with identifying and describing places on [[Earth]], utilizing spatial awareness to try to understand why things exist in specific locations. [[Cartography]] is the mapping of spaces to allow better navigation, for visualization purposes and to act as a locational device. [[Geostatistics]] apply statistical concepts to collected spatial data of Earth to create an estimate for unobserved phenomena.

Geographical space is often considered as land, and can have a relation to [[ownership]] usage (in which space is seen as [[property]] or territory). While some cultures assert the rights of the individual in terms of ownership, other cultures will identify with a communal approach to land ownership, while still other cultures such as [[Australian Aboriginals]], rather than asserting ownership rights to land, invert the relationship and consider that they are in fact owned by the land. [[Spatial planning]] is a method of regulating the use of space at land-level, with decisions made at regional, national and international levels. Space can also impact on human and cultural behavior, being an important factor in architecture, where it will impact on the design of buildings and structures, and on farming.

Ownership of space is not restricted to land. Ownership of [[airspace]] and of [[International waters|waters]] is decided internationally. Other forms of ownership have been recently asserted to other spaces—for example to the radio bands of the [[electromagnetic spectrum]] or to [[cyberspace]].

[[Public space]] is a term used to define areas of land as collectively owned by the community, and managed in their name by delegated bodies; such spaces are open to all, while [[private property]] is the land culturally owned by an individual or company, for their own use and pleasure.

[[Abstract space]] is a term used in [[geography]] to refer to a hypothetical space characterized by complete homogeneity. When modeling activity or behavior, it is a conceptual tool used to limit [[extraneous variables]] such as terrain.

== In psychology ==
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
Psychologists first began to study the way space is perceived in the middle of the 19th century. Those now concerned with such studies regard it as a distinct branch of [[psychology]]. Psychologists analyzing the perception of space are concerned with how recognition of an object's physical appearance or its interactions are perceived, see, for example, [[visual space]].

Other, more specialized topics studied include [[amodal perception]] and [[object permanence]]. The [[perception]] of surroundings is important due to its necessary relevance to survival, especially with regards to [[hunting]] and [[self preservation]] as well as simply one's idea of [[personal space]].

Several space-related [[phobia]]s have been identified, including [[agoraphobia]] (the fear of open spaces), [[wikt:astrophobia|astrophobia]] (the fear of celestial space) and [[claustrophobia]] (the fear of enclosed spaces).

The understanding of three-dimensional space in humans is thought to be learned during infancy using [[visual perception#Unconscious inference|unconscious inference]], and is closely related to [[hand-eye coordination]]. The visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions is called [[depth perception]].

== In the social sciences ==
Space has been studied in the social sciences from the perspectives of [[Marxism]], [[feminism]], [[postmodernism]], [[postcolonialism]], [[urban theory]] and [[critical geography]]. These theories account for the effect of the history of colonialism, transatlantic slavery and globalization on our understanding and experience of space and place. The topic has garnered attention since the 1980s, after the publication of [[Henri Lefebvre]]'s ''The Production of Space .'' In this book, Lefebvre applies Marxist ideas about the production of commodities and accumulation of capital to discuss space as a social product. His focus is on the multiple and overlapping social processes that produce space.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Henri Lefebvre on Space: Architecture, Urban Research, and the Production of Theory.|last=Stanek|first=Lukasz|publisher=Univ of Minnesota Press|year=2011|pages=ix}}</ref>

In his book ''The Condition of Postmodernity,'' [[David Harvey]] describes what he terms the "[[time-space compression]]." This is the effect of technological advances and capitalism on our perception of time, space and distance.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199874002/obo-9780199874002-0025.xml|title=Time-Space Compression – Geography – Oxford Bibliographies – obo|access-date=28 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920011023/http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199874002/obo-9780199874002-0025.xml|archive-date=20 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Changes in the modes of production and consumption of capital affect and are affected by developments in transportation and technology. These advances create relationships across time and space, new markets and groups of wealthy elites in urban centers, all of which annihilate distances and affect our perception of linearity and distance.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Spaces of Capital: Towards a Critical Geography|last=Harvey|first=David|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2001|pages=244–246}}</ref>

In his book ''Thirdspace,'' [[Edward Soja]] describes space and spatiality as an integral and neglected aspect of what he calls the "[[trialectics of being]]," the three modes that determine how we inhabit, experience and understand the world. He argues that critical theories in the Humanities and Social Sciences study the historical and social dimensions of our lived experience, neglecting the spatial dimension.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Thirdspace: journeys to Los Angeles and other real-and-imagined places|last=W.|first=Soja, Edward|date=1996|publisher=Blackwell|isbn=978-1-55786-674-5|location=Cambridge, Mass.|oclc=33863376}}</ref> He builds on Henri Lefebvre's work to address the dualistic way in which humans understand space—as either material/physical or as represented/imagined. Lefebvre's "lived space"<ref>{{Cite book|title=The production of space|last=Lefebvre |first=Henri |date=1991|publisher=Blackwell|isbn=978-0-631-14048-1|location=Oxford, OX, UK|oclc=22624721}}</ref> and Soja's "thirdspace" are terms that account for the complex ways in which humans understand and navigate place, which "firstspace" and "Secondspace" (Soja's terms for material and imagined spaces respectively) do not fully encompass.

[[Postcolonialism|Postcolonial]] theorist [[Homi K. Bhabha|Homi Bhabha]]'s concept of [[Third Space Theory|Third Space]] is different from Soja's Thirdspace, even though both terms offer a way to think outside the terms of a [[Binary opposition|binary]] logic. Bhabha's Third Space is the space in which hybrid cultural forms and identities exist. In his theories, the term [[Hybridity|hybrid]] describes new cultural forms that emerge through the interaction between colonizer and colonized.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Postcolonial studies: the key concepts|author=Ashcroft Bill |author2=Griffiths, Gareth |author3=Tiffin, Helen |isbn=978-0-415-66190-4|edition= Third|location=London|oclc=824119565|year = 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{cols|colwidth=21em}}
* [[State space (physics)]]
* [[Absolute space and time]]
* [[Aether theories]]
* [[Cosmology]]
* [[General relativity]]
* [[Philosophy of space and time]]
* [[Proxemics]]
* [[Shape of the universe]]
* [[Social space]]
* [[Space exploration]]
* [[Spacetime (mathematics)]]
* [[Spatial analysis]]
* [[Spatial–temporal reasoning]]
{{colend}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links |wikt=space |commons=Space |commonscat=yes |n=no |q=Space |s=Category:Space |b=no |v=no}}

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