If time was stopped, is inertia conserved?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the hypothetical scenario of stopping time and its implications on inertia. It concludes that if time were stopped, inertia would not be conserved because inertia is fundamentally linked to motion and acceleration, which require the passage of time. The conversation highlights that only massless particles can travel at light speed, and thus, stopping time would violate the laws of physics, rendering concepts like falling bullets meaningless. Ultimately, the nature of time and inertia is intertwined with the laws governing motion and change.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts, particularly inertia and acceleration.
  • Familiarity with the theory of relativity and its implications on time and motion.
  • Knowledge of the relationship between time and physical laws.
  • Concept of massless particles and their behavior in physics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of Einstein's theory of relativity on time and space.
  • Explore the concept of inertia in classical mechanics and its mathematical representation.
  • Study the behavior of massless particles and their role in physics.
  • Investigate the philosophical implications of time and motion in theoretical physics.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, educators, and anyone interested in the theoretical implications of time and motion in the context of relativity and inertia.

Mk
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Ok, if I stopped time, and started it again. Would all the inertia of everything be "forgotten?" Or "remembered?" Would bullets suddenly fall to the ground from mid-air? Do you understand me?
 
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As much as I hate to admit it, I do understand you. :-p
Unfortunately, we can't stop time. If we could, I'd still be 25 years old. By relativity, all inertial frames have their own time. The only way to stop it is to travel at light speed. Since only massless particles can do that, there is no inertia to conserve. Time is more or less measured by the change of state of some system or other, so stopping it would by definition prevent any change at all from occurring. The closest that you can get is to take a picture of something. That's one instant of time frozen in place.
 
If you think about it, when you 'see' something, it's all about light hitting your eyes. So if time stopped, light would no longer travel and you would (of course, this can't happen as time's stopped for you as well) see nothing. I'm probably horrible wrong, but oh well.
 
Inertia is resistance to acceleration and its units do not include time - so what does that have to do with bullets falling to the ground?
 
Yes, if time stopped, laws of physics would indeed be violated. But this sentence is devoid of any meaning. Time not stopping IS one of the laws of nature, so it's like asking "If the Earth were flat, what would it be resting on?".
 
Falling of bullets back to the ground from mid-air is again an order of events ... whihc is titled 'time' again! ... STopping time would simply limit increase/decrease the fourth coordinate of the proposed space-time structure.Gained inertia maybe from a force or a collision , because the result of inertia is another 'set of ordered events appropriately responding to the action as per the laws of physics' , all these ordered events can perform each step of the order ONLY when the fourth coordinate time moves forward . Thus stopping time would simply restrict motion , bringing the object to a standstill.

BJ
 

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