Should it be space-time or spacetime – and why does it matter anyway?

image via New Scientist

September 3, 2025, 6:00 PM

• •The author reflects on the challenges of writing and getting endorsements.
• •The central discussion revolves around the hyphen in "space-time" vs. "spacetime".
• •The grammar of space-time reflects scientific sensibilities
• •The author draws connections between the hyphen and her own last name.
• •Prescod-Weinstein's perspective leans towards space-time being both space and time, and a third entity: spacetime.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, while seeking endorsements for her new book "The Edge of Space-Time," delves into the complexities of space-time, spurred by a grammatical question about the use of a hyphen. She explores whether space-time is a combination of space and time or a new concept altogether. The author reflects on the challenge of explaining such concepts and the influence of scientific language, like in the title of her book and her own last name. Ultimately, Prescod-Weinstein grapples with the implications of the hyphen, and scientific and personal interpretations, leaving her with a nuanced understanding of space-time.

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