Posted on 04/16/2005 4:19:09 PM PDT by beavus
The concept of time is self-evident. An hour consists of a certain number of minutes, a day of hours and a year of days. But we rarely think about the fundamental nature of time.
Time is passing non-stop, and we follow it with clocks and calendars. Yet we cannot study it with a microscope or experiment with it. And it still keeps passing. We just cannot say what exactly happens when time passes.
Time is represented through change, such as the circular motion of the moon around the earth. The passing of time is indeed closely connected to the concept of space.
According to the general theory of relativity, space, or the universe, emerged in the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago. Before that, all matter was packed into an extremely tiny dot. That dot also contained the matter that later came to be the sun, the earth and the moon the heavenly bodies that tell us about the passing of time.
Before the Big Band, there was no space or time.
In the theory of relativity, the concept of time begins with the Big Bang the same way as parallels of latitude begin at the North Pole. You cannot go further north than the North Pole, says Kari Enqvist, Professor of Cosmology.
One of the most peculiar qualities of time is the fact that it is measured by motion and it also becomes evident through motion.
According to the general theory of relativity, the development of space may result in the collapse of the universe. All matter would shrink into a tiny dot again, which would end the concept of time as we know it.
Latest observations, however, do not support the idea of collapse, rather inter-galactic distances grow at a rapid pace, Enqvist says.
If you want to know more about the topic, visit Kari Enqvists website at http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/~enqvist/.
Text: Simo Salmela Picture: ESO www.helsinki.fi/digitalcommunications
Translation: Valtasana Oy
I don't think rotating frames are inertial frames.
No, that is a variation of the "infinitely long swinging plank" dilemma. It doesn't violate relativity. The reason is that space-time in the outer parts (or inner parts; it's all relative) deforms so that no faster than light relative motion exists.
More important than TIME is TIMING...
Why is it that humans must believe that everything has a beginning and an end? We cannot comprehend infinity.
IMO, the big bang theory is bs.
We will never understand time because there is no beginning or ending to it.
Well, as I (imperfectly) understand it, linear frames are handled by special relativity and rotating/accelerating frames are handled by the general theory.
A paradox, a paradox,
A most ingenious paradox--
Hahahaha hahahaha! A par-a-dox!
No, I understand that, I explained in #100 I was making a somewhat crude Newtonian comparison. I have no problem at all with the topology of relativity and the isomorphisms.
I am just saying something is counterintuitive.
There's no "come from" because both space (which you would need to encompass the dot) and time (which you need in order to have a concept of an existence before the big bang) were created at the moment of the big bang.
The answer is 42.
There was jazz, though.
I believe that what we call "time" is only the human perception of change, and that it doesn't really exist.
The Big Band era was in the 40's and was not hugely known for its effect on astrophysics. It was a good time to dance, however. I greatly prefer Big Band music to the infernal noise called music these days.
There was no 'before the big bang'
Now all you have to do is prove it.
I'm no physicist, but could the manifestation of Time be related to cosmic inflation? More space is coming into existence so could that be, in some way correlated to Time?
Time is only the measurement of change.
Well, then I guess you'll have to figure out how something 4 light years away from the ball is supposed to know that it should start moving.
Well then, oh great and wise wizard, what fluctuated and for how long?
This Universe is within a bandwidth of resonance from the highest frequency (smallest resonant cavity.. Planck, perhaps) and the lowest frequency (the resonant cavity of the Whole). All within is a miraid of frequencies caused by mixing in non-linear structures. Much like in a radio mixer stage, put in 2 frequencies and out comes the original 2, the sum and the difference frequencies. The actual lowest frequency is eternity caused by the sized resonant cavity of infinite expanse, growing at an unlimited rate, and the highest frequency is never, caused by the resonant cavity size of ever collapsing infinitesimality, also at an infinite rate. Time for us is only what our shockingly narrow bandwidth of frequency reception is capable of permitting us to perceive. I do believe that at Infinite ON (expanse) and Infinite Off (infinitesimality), they are actually two of the multiple sides of the same "Coin".
Hmmm... heaven is "up" (expanse, infinite ON), Hell is "down below" (infinitesimality, infinite Off) Just maybe heaven and Hell are real, physical places. The ancients maybe knew this. Just didn't know how to word it.
Just a thought.
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