Is Time Merely a Side Effect of Energy?

[Pyon]

Please realize I'm going to talk about random made up thoughts so don't take them too seriously, also I'm going to make a lot of wrong assumptions so be careful.

Just a question, wouldn't it be OK to say time is a side effect of energy? It kind of makes sense because we humans really can relatively keep track of time with our senses, and when we are not using them such as when we dream where the concept of time is kind of distorted. Also if there was no energy in the universe, absolutely nothing would change which would imply time would not exist?

 

[DiracPool]

Just a question, wouldn't it be OK to say time is a side effect of energy?

I don't know if "side-effect" is the right word, but there's definitely a relation between energy and time. You have Heisenberg's uncertainty principle ΔEΔt≥h/2, you have the angular velocity term in the exponential of the time derivative of Schrödinger equation, e^-iwt, and, most importantly, you have an energy term in the time slot of the 4-momentum, (E/c, Px, Py, Pz).

Energy is defined as "the capacity for doing work". As you mentioned, work is more related to work being done "through time." So to say they are related I think is fair, to say one is causal of another I think more suspicious.

 

[Pyon]

I see, thanks for the reply. You say energy is defined as the capacity of doing work, but energy can also be stored right? Also is there a pure form of energy? where it's not being used or stored?

 

[DiracPool]

I see, thanks for the reply. You say energy is defined as the capacity of doing work, but energy can also be stored right? Also is there a pure form of energy? where it's not being used or stored?

Well, this is more for the physics experts here at PF here to comment on, but in the meantime I'd say that from my understanding "rest mass" may be a form of consolidated energy, if that's what you are referring to. Or perhaps the energy stored in a capacitance-type situation, etc. "Where it's not being used or stored" is a mutually exclusive term, something is either being used or stored, wouldn't you agree? I don't think there's a third alternative.

 

[Pyon]

Well, this is more for the physics experts here at PF here to comment on, but in the meantime I'd say that from my understanding "rest mass" may be a form of consolidated energy, if that's what you are referring to. Or perhaps the energy stored in a capacitance-type situation, etc. "Where it's not being used or stored" is a mutually exclusive term, something is either being used or stored, wouldn't you agree? I don't think there's a third alternative.

Yes I'd agree there is not third alternative, but I was thinking something like light maybe?

 

[Evo]

Sorry, but this gets into our rule of becoming "overly speculative".