Does time move in increments of Planck time? Is there an instantanious jump from one planck time to another? Is this a screwy question?
2007-04-23 17:50:59 · 4 answers · asked by TRAF 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
It's not a screwy question, but then we don't have a good answer. There's general consensus in the quantum community that the Planck time is the time quantum. But it's not at all clear what that means. The claim is that, no matter how good your measurement capability becomes in the future, you will never be able to distinguish a time difference smaller than the Planck time.
If we are ever able to say more about this, it's likely we'll have theoretical/mathematical insight before we have any experimental data.
It's an excellent question to keep in mind as you study quantum physics.
2007-04-23 18:04:59 · answer #1 · answered by Frank N 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's what the physics community thinks at the moment. The Planck time is about 5.391 * 10^-44 seconds, making the Planck length 1.616 * 10^-35 meters, the distance light travels in the Planck time.
2007-04-24 02:19:38 · answer #2 · answered by hznfrst 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Planck time is the time it would take a photon travelling at the speed of light to cross a distance equal to the Planck length, and by this definition the answer yes! However, some of my recent calculatins shows that the Plank length is relative itself, so in my point of view the answer is no!
2007-04-24 02:19:38 · answer #3 · answered by Santiago 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Given that time is an 'ideal' and not a reality it is kinda difficult, at best, to validate it as anything other then a nice (useful) notion.
2007-04-24 10:59:07 · answer #4 · answered by occluderx 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋