Sean Carroll's Spacetime Paradox: A Straight Line is the LONGEST Path

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]We're all taught the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but in space time, that's completely wrong.

[00:00:06]Do I literally all of our lives, right?

[00:00:08]We all evolve in time, so you can start with one event in space time and another event in space time.

[00:00:14]What Minkowski points out is that the time you measure along your trajectory in the universe is precisely analogous to the distance you travel on a curve through space. And by precisely, I mean it is also true that the actual distance you travel through depends on your path, right? Go straight line shortest distance and you curvy line would be longer. The time you measure in space time, the literal time that takes off on your clock, also depends on your path. But, it depends on it the other way. So, that the longest time between two points is a straight line. And if you zig back and forth in space time, you take less and less time to go from point A