Distance time travels per second

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of time and its relationship with space, particularly in the context of the big bang and the speed of light. Participants explore theoretical implications of time's measurement, the concept of spacetime, and the movement of objects within this framework.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that if time began at the big bang, it might travel at a certain rate, questioning whether time could be considered the fastest entity and if light speed could be exceeded.
  • Another participant explains that space and time are interconnected through the spacetime metric, indicating that the expansion of the universe involves the expansion of spacetime itself, which is not limited by the speed of light.
  • A different viewpoint asserts that time does not "travel" but is a measure of the intervals between events, defined by the operation of clocks.
  • Another participant emphasizes that space and time serve as a framework for understanding motion and interaction, clarifying that they do not possess velocities or acceleration themselves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of time and its relationship with space, with no consensus reached on whether time can be considered as traveling or if it can exceed the speed of light.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various interpretations of time and spacetime, with some assumptions about the nature of measurement and the implications of the big bang remaining unresolved.

Pricey
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If at the big bang, space and time began, would time not travel at a certain rate? Such as, light travels at 299792458m/sec. The solar system has been here for some 5 billion years and we are looking into outerspace at light that has taken 5 billion years to reach us. Would that not mean that time has reached here twice as quickly (if not more)? would that then mean that time is the fastest that anything can travel, and that light speed can be breeched?
 
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space and time are intimately tied together by the spacetime metric which is analogous to the pythagorean theorem and so Physicists don't talk about space and time as being separate but as an entity spacetime. The expansion of the universe in theory is the expansion of spacetime. It is not dictated by limits like the speed of light but particles traveling within spacetime are.
 
Time does not travel anywhere. Time is what a clock measures. A clock is an instrument with three basic parts: an oscillator, a counter, and a display. In the macroscopic world time has a direction which is forward, it continues forward at 1 sec/sec. Time is a measure of the "distance" between events.
 
Space and time are not "things" that move around and interact, they are the framework or background by which we are able to label systems of objects and how they move and interact. As such neither space nor time can move, attain velocities, accelerate, etc. All these happen to objects within spacetime such as an electron or proton.
 

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