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We look for laws of physics that are eternal (in that they hold at all points in time) and xxx (in that they hold at all points in space)

  • Infinite? The laws themselves aren't infinite
  • Universal? That's too general a concept (doesn't focus on the notion of space)
  • Ubiquitous? I've only heard that word to mean that I can find something pretty much everywhere, but not that it's literally everywhere
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    To make it possible to answer this question authoritatively, and not just get a list of possibilities, I suggest changing it to "Is there a single adjective in English that specifically means 'holds true at all points in space' and does not have as well the meaning or connotation of 'all points in time' or simply 'without limits' generally? Commented Sep 21 at 6:51
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    @TimR. This is fine on ELU. It's just as fine to ask "Time::Eternity ⇒ Space::Flurble in language X; what is Flurble in English?" Commented Sep 21 at 8:54
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    The phrase "holds all points in space" suggests a finite space which is not how the word eternal is used in natural English. That sounds like set theory to me. The definition of eternal as it is used in natural language is not "containing all points in time". Commented Sep 21 at 10:22
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    The title of this question does not quite match its body. The body of the question is about holding at all points in space, apparently without implying anything as to whether the space itself is finite or infinite. Eternal, on the other hand, usually (although not always) carries the implication that the time itself stretches out without limit (not only that whatever we are talking about stretches out throughout all the time that there is, leaving open the possibility of its being finite). Commented Sep 21 at 17:02
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    In the title, you're asking for a noun, but in the question body, you're asking for an adjective. I just suggested an edit to fix the title. Commented Sep 22 at 13:50

16 Answers 16

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We look for laws of physics that are eternal (in that they hold at all points in time) and boundless (in that they hold at all points in space)

boundless adjective & noun
< bound n.1 + ‑less suffix.
Adjective Without bounds or limits; illimitable; unbounded, unlimited. 1599–

See also:

bound noun1
2.a. The boundary line of a territory or estate; gen. a limit or boundary, that to which anything extends in space. a1387–

Source: Oxford English Dictionary (login required)

PS: Boundlessness would be your noun in Time is to eternity as space is to boundlessness.

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    This would be my answer, but there are unbounded spaces that are finite in extent, such as a sphere Commented Sep 21 at 21:19
  • That's a great one. Thanks for the observation @james K, I would've missed it. Commented Sep 22 at 11:17
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    @JamesK that is the case in very specific mathematical definition, but is not how 'unbounded' is used in non-technical English. For ELU, 'infinite' and 'unbounded' are pretty much the same thing. Commented Sep 22 at 15:36
  • Up-voted +1. Or 'abyss', perhaps ? Commented Sep 22 at 23:49
  • You're answering the question in the title, not in the question body. A common mistake. Commented Sep 23 at 9:25
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"We look for laws of physics that are eternal (in that they hold at all points in time) and global (in that they hold at all points in space)."

Global here doesn't refer to a globe or Earth, but rather is an antonym of local (a location in or a region of space).

Another antonym is nonlocal, which is a term often used in texts on quantum mechanics. So I thought perhaps the following could also work, but I have been corrected.

So this is not right: "We look for laws of physics that are eternal (in that they hold at all points in time) and nonlocal (in that they hold at all points in space)."

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    Nonlocal isn't right here. It suggests action at a distance, but not "everywhere". :"Global" is right. Commented Sep 21 at 18:56
  • @EthanBolker You are right. Thanks. I fixed it. Commented Sep 21 at 19:02
  • “Nonlocal” has a very specific meaning in QM, and it has little to do with “applying everywhere”. Better remove this suggestion. Commented Sep 23 at 7:30
  • @user3840170 It is explicitly mentioned in the answer that it is not right to use nonlocal. Better leave it in, so other people don't make the same mistake. Commented Sep 23 at 7:59
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I challenge the premise that the answer is not universal. If you are concerned that "universe" should apply to spacetime rather than space, you've already made an error in splitting off time by using "eternal".

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    I think I agree, but you could also try to complete the following sentence: "We look for laws of physics that are universal: eternal (in that they hold at all points in time) and xxx (in that they hold at all points in space)." Commented Sep 22 at 12:56
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The laws can be said to be translationally invariant if they don't vary simply due to location. Similarly, they are temporally invariant if they don't vary by time.

Translational invariance refers to the property where an operator remains the same regardless of the shift in position

Science Direct

This phrasing is typically used in image processing. In physics you would more likely see the equivalent phrased as translational symmetry.

In physics and mathematics, continuous translational symmetry is the invariance of a system of equations under any translation

Wikipedia

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    +1 This is the most technically correct term. Commented Sep 21 at 19:51
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One specific word is omnispatial.

Throughout space; everywhere in space. - Wiktionary

It directly relates to space, unlike universal, which is commonly used in "Laws of physics are universal", but doesn't emphasize the spatial/location aspect. Spatially universal is sometimes used for that meaning, which is more common, though it's a bit more clunky. Omnipresent is also related, but it's less specific. The time equivalent is omnitemporal, so omnispatial forms a neat parallel.

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    I understand this word based on its roots, but I don't think it's in wide use. Wiktionary is the only dictionary I've found that so far that contains it -- it's not in any of the three other online dictionaries I checked, all of which I trust more than Wiktionary. Commented Sep 22 at 20:11
  • I'm aware, thus, I said it is specific and added details, plus it's more of a terminology question. Spatial is common, so omnispatial follows naturally from derivatives like omnipresent. It conveys the exact meaning of "everywhere in space” (the sense in the OP). I also noted common alternatives: universal is usually the go-to but is less specific, since it can cover both temporal and spatial aspects, and omnipresent has the same issue. Meaning and usage can diverge, but the OP can decide what best fits their context, especially since the example sentence isn't a usual concept. Commented Sep 22 at 21:48
  • Also, technically, I believe the OP meant omnitemporal instead of eternal for the time equivalent. Eternal is more ambiguous and abstract. And separating time and space for the sake of the laws of physics is a whole other dimension. Commented Sep 22 at 21:53
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The word omnipresent means what you want. Cambridge Dictionary defines it as

present or having an effect everywhere at the same time.

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I would suggest that "infinite" is the right word for both time and space, with qualifying adverbs. Many have pointed out by now that "eternal" is not actually what you want for the temporal concern, as it has strong connotations of linear time in the future, not simply infinite scope.

We look for laws of physics that are temporally infinite and spatially infinite.

Or, even less stilted,

We look for laws of physics that are infinite in scope across time as well as space.

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Not exactly an answer to your question, because this is an adjective that modifies the universe rather than the laws it satisfies, but a homogeneous universe is (in this sort of context) one where the laws are the same everywhere.

But to capture what I believe is your intended meaning (as opposed to your stated meaning) "homogeneous" is not enough --- you also probably want to specify that the universe is isotropic, meaning that the laws are the same in all directions. One can imagine a homogeneous universe in which objects obey very different laws depending on what direction they're traveling; isotropy rules this out.

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    I remember the universe being homogeneous and isotropic was one of the axioms of special relativity in my freshman physics text. Commented Sep 23 at 19:20
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    @user888379 : These are standard assumptions in classical (newtonian) physics also. Commented Sep 23 at 23:45
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Everywhere

Adjective

All-pervading. Also: done, occurring, operating, etc., everywhere.

Also functions as a noun or adverb if preferred.

OED

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For your use case try extensive, in general space/volume has extent: "the full extent of the universe". The sense here is an indefinite all-encompassing or comprehensive reach which could also be used.

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Maybe my understanding of ubiquitous isn't quite right. From Webster's 1913:

U*biq"ui*tous (?), a. [See Ubiquity.] Existing or being everywhere, or in all places, at the same time; omnipresent

U*biq"ui*ty (?), n. [L. ubique everywhere, fr. ubi where, perhaps for cubi, quobi (cf. alicubi anywhere), and if so akin to E. who: cf. F. ubiquité.]

  1. Existence everywhere, or in places, at the same time; omnipresence; as, the ubiquity of God is not disputed by those who admit his existence.

    The arms of Rome . . . were impeded by . . . the wide spaces to be traversed and the ubiquity of the enemy. -- C. Merivale.

  2. (Theol.) The doctrine, as formulated by Luther, that Christ's glorified body is omnipresent.

It's good that it holds everywhere at the same time ie. at a given time, it nicely complements eternal. In maths, I would write something like forall x, forall t, laws_of_physics_hold(x, t): ubiquity is the forall x, and forall t is eternity.

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This is challenging because eternal can mean "applies equally over all of time", but ubiquitous will be understood to mean "present over all of space". If you say, "the laws of physics are ubiquitous", it sounds like you are saying that the laws of physics turn up everywhere you look, which is a sensible thing to say, but not what you are looking for.

The thing you are trying to say is a point about physics that is commonly made. I think that, if there were a suitable single word for "infinite in space", it would have become part of a fixed phrase used for things like laws of physics. Sometimes you just have to use more than one word.

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Isotropic

I don't know if this is "plain english" enough, but it is the word I would use writing about physics.

Merriam-Webster

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  • This answer has already been given by WillO. Commented Sep 24 at 19:05
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Time is to eternity as space is to what?

NB There has to be parallelism: the form is "Noun1 is to noun2 as noun3 is to noun4"

Your options are all adjectival and therefore wrong.

An endless amount of time ~ eternity

An endless amount of space ~ infinity (noun)

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  • This is the best answer. Nailed it. Commented Sep 21 at 11:40
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    The options are adjectival because they're filling in the blank in the question body ("We look for laws of physics that are eternal and xxx"), which is paralleling "eternal". -- Since the questioner ruled out "infinite" on a semantic rather than grammatical basis, this answer is incomplete unless it explains why the word "infinity" works for the title question, but suddenly doesn't seem to work when rephrased in an adjectival context. Commented Sep 21 at 12:14
  • I just suggested an edit to fix the title, since OP's asking for an adjective, not a noun. Commented Sep 22 at 13:49
  • Infinity can include both spatial and temporal infinity. Eternity, on the other hand, is unambigoulsy specific to time, so a parallel term would have to be unambiguously specific to space. Commented Sep 23 at 15:29
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Time is to eternity as space is to immensity.

Immensity is the analogous word. Although it can be used to refer to a very large area, I think originally it was used to refer to boundless space that is unmeasurable.

N.b. eternity has two different meanings. One meaning of eternity is the infinite succession of time. In this definition of eternity, each moment of time happens before of after something else. However, another meaning of eternity is timelessness, where there is no succession of moments and where everything that does happen happens all at once and there is no change. This second concept of eternity is difficult for us to grasp because it not something that we have ever experienced.

My awareness of these two meanings comes from reading theology where eternity is sometime used to describe what people experience in the afterlife, i.e. an endless succession of time, but at other times is used to describe what was "before" time or space began.

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  • This is a noun; despite their misleading title, the OP is looking for an adjective. Also, 1) you're right that "immense" comes from roots meaning "without measure," but giving a source is better than "I think," and 2) it's not the current meaning. Commented Sep 22 at 14:06
  • Immense simply means extraordinarily large; it does not mean spatially infinite. Commented Sep 24 at 15:38
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Time is to eternity as space is to the continuum. In other words, time is to eternity as space is "to something that keeps on going, changing slowly over time." Seems obvious. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/continuum#:~:text=A%20continuum%20is%20something%20that,range%20that%20is%20always%20present.

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    Doesn't fit in the OP's sentence: We look for laws of physics that are eternal and continuum??? Commented Sep 21 at 6:52
  • DW256 Then the answer you probably want is "constant." 'We look for laws of physics that are both eternal and constant in that they hold at all points in space.' Sorry, I'm not much of a participant here and was only responding to the subject line, which seemed awkwardly phrased, so I poeticized it. Commented Sep 23 at 1:24

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