What Is Time?

Question

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Answer 1

Time is a parameter that's possible in some physical systems and not others. For example, certain dynamical systems can be represented by differential equations, but there doesn't necessarily exist a Green's function for every differential equation. If a Green's function does exist, then it makes possible a generator function with a parameter than can function as time. Even for physical systems in which time as a parameter is possible, it's not strictly necessary to make use of such a parameter to express the system mathematically. In our ordinary reality, we can use time as a parameter and model physical reality as a succession of states evolving in time (well, sort of, we have to factor in relativistic complications), but two points needs to be made: 1) we can still describe our physical reality mathematically without using time as a parameter, it's a choice if we do or not, and 2) not all physical reality permits the use of such a parameter, i.e., time becomes meaningless in such cases. Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Time is nothing more than a concept that sentient beings like us have 'invented' to separate events into 'past,' 'present,' and 'future.' However, there is no physical past following along behind us, nor any physical future waiting up ahead. Time itself is *not* a *natural* feature of the universe. There is no Cosmic Master Clock ticking off the correct time for the universe. For example, right now on the west coast it's 1 a.m., but in New York City it's 4 a.m. Which time is the right time?

Answer 3

Oddly enough, there is no such thing as Time. When Einstein said that time was the fourth dimension, we was only quantifying something that people had known, that, is time can be represented mathematically as a fourth dimension.

Time is a completely arbitrary way that humans measure physical changes. We cannot see into the past or the future, and indeed, the past and future do not exist. This is the hardest concept for some people to grasp.

We have no knowledge of the future, and our only knowledge of the past is physical records (including our brains) in the "present" which record various physical changes in matter. We truly live in a single instant. There is continuity from one moment to the next because there are no moments.

Answer 4

Time is the rate of change. "Now" is the current position of every particle in the universe (unmeasurable by the Uncertainty Principle). "Past" is where everything was before. (to time-travel backwards, all would need to be "reset" including the proposed time-traveler). The "Future" hasn't happened yet! We 'predict' the future by observing long-lived cycles such as day/night, the four seasons, lunar phases, etc. Even these cycles change over, well, time.

Answer 5

Time is merely man's explanation of duration by metrology, so that the divisions of ages, eons, milennia, centuries, decades, years, seasons, monthes, weeks, days, minutes, seconds, and nanoseconds, etc. can be recorded , applied, and predicted on a grand scale, that is directly relative to the measurement of kilocycles (the pure frequency of electricity) which is also directly relative to the basis of all linear measurement known to man; which apparently originated during or before the development of Egyptian metrology, regarding Royal cubits, "lost" cubits, and Empirical cubits, also refer to www.robertlomas.org for an explanation of how to create a magalithic yard, which I believe is relative to a "lost" cubit which just happens to be measured in kilocycles.

Answer 6

I'd say a measured moment of existence .