How fast is time?

Question

Question from my 7 year old.I can explain re minutes etc are a measurement of time but how FAST is it?1

hst is this true it sounds good

Thank you to everyone that provided a sensible answer.I can not decide on the best answer as so many are good so I will let it go to vote.Again thank you

Answer 1

time is slow if it is measured in hours

time is fast if it is measured in seconds

time is measured by counting the ticks of a clock,
the smaller the units that time is measured in, the faster you have to count

special relativity - If you travel past a clock at close to the speed of light it will appear to be ticking faster than it would if you were standing next to it

general relativity - If you observe a clock which is in a strong gravitational field, compared to you, then it will appear to be ticking slower than it would if you were standing next to it

,.,.,.,

Answer 2

What follows is a physics description, followed by a 7 year old translation.
Time is a fourth dimension of the relativistic space time continuum [ Time is how long it takes to get from one place to another, whether from our house to granny's house or from home to school.] In classical mechanics, time is constant, but in relativistic mechanics, time interacts with velocity and gravitational effects of masses along the path, and may be different for two persons traveling at a different rate. [How fast time is depends upon how you are going there, it may be fast, if you go by car, or slow, if you are walking a long ways, or if there is traffic that slows you down. ]


From Wikipedia
In classical mechanics, the use of spacetime over Euclidean space is optional, as time is treated as a constant, being independent of mechanical motion in three dimensions (which matches reality at low speeds). In relativistic contexts, however, time cannot be separated from the three dimensions of space because it depends on an object's velocity relative to the speed of light, and also the strength of intense gravitational fields which can slow the passage of time.

Answer 3

Time is always relative to the observer. Light is the fastest observable object in the universe so we have a tendency to measure time on it.

Measurements of time are nothing more than categories to place a length of time, it is dilated and warped from person to person e.g an exciting day can fly by whilst a slow day can crawl.

Maybe one day we will find one universal measurement for time, but at the moment all we have are our own senses.

Answer 4

time is a unit of measurement. Speed is also a unit of measurement. You can't measure a unit of measurement. It's like asking how fast in length, how tall is time, how wide is speed, etc. But if you want to give the kid a nice answer you can say something like...As fast as that little seconds hand spins around the clock. Or as fast as the earth spins. who knows.

Answer 5

It's very impressive coming from a 7 year old, but unfortunately the question isn't a valid one.

Asking how fast something is, is asking for the difference between its position at one point in time minus its position at another point in time divided by the total amount of time.

In other words, it's a bit like asking 'How long is length'

Answer 6

For a seven year old go for Aces answer..
Everyone who mentioned Einstein... Relativity etc...
no meaning to a 7 yr old
Agree 'how fast is time' is meaningless, but not to the questioner.

Answer 7

since Time is a relative quantity and thus this is a very common question.

Time is not like two bikes moving in a race to say which bike is faster and which one is slower.

According to relativity,(as proposed by Einstein) Time dilation( or delay in time) which may give you the answer for how fast is time, depends on how fast your bike moves relative to time.

If your bike approaches velocity of light you find time running slow.

Indeed no body knows what is the nature of time? Yes! Who ever say we know either he must be telling lies or pretending.

Answer 8

A swinging pendulum (in a Grandfather clock) keeps precise time and you can see time pass with each swing. Mental 'time' is perfectly elastic (like a rubber band) and passes much too fast if confronted by a hungry tiger but far too slow if made to sit in the corner.

Answer 9

Time is at a constant speed and cannot be measured because you can not measure the speed of time with a unit of time. Also time cannot move backwards due to the second law of thermodynamics.

Answer 10

Time relative to a particular person matches that on the wall clock that is with them. Assuming they are in a space ship traveling near the speed of light then the people on earth will have a different time experience realtive to the traveler...i.e. they'll be much older and possibly alreday dead.