Does the Planck Unit of Time Support Julian Barbour's Theory on the End of Time?

In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of the universe having a "frame rate" and "snapshots" based on the Planck unit of time. It also mentions the potential solution to Zeno's Arrow paradox and clarifies that the topic is speculation and not settled science. The conversation concludes by stating that the arrow paradox has already been solved, regardless of the structure of the universe at the Planck scale.
  • #1
Rajkovic
64
0
I'm reading Julian Barbour the end of time..I don't know if It's a good reading..
According to Planck unit of time (5.39121 × 10^−44 seconds), could the universe be said to have a "frame rate" and "snapshots" (as Julian Barbour mentions) could exist? (and, incidentally, Zeno's arrow paradox would have a possible solution?)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
It is possible that the universe has a "frame rate" and "snapshots", and if it does, the time granularity will probably be of about the same order of magnitude as the Plank time... but there's no particular proof one way or another. It's an interesting speculation, not settled science. The wikipedia article on "Planck time" makes this clear, as does the last post in this thread.

Professional scientists are allowed to speculate about this stuff and their speculations are more interesting and much better grounded than most people's. So there's nothing wrong with Barbour's book - just remember that he didn't write it to be a textbook.

The paradox of Zeno's Arrow was solved long ago, so new discoveries about the structure of the universe at the Planck scale aren't needed to explain it. The arrow moves whether the universe is granular at that scale or not.
 
  • #3
Thank you for answering
 

1. What is the Planck unit of time?

The Planck unit of time is a unit of time measurement in the field of physics. It is defined as the time it takes for light to travel a distance of one Planck length in a vacuum, which is approximately 5.39 × 10^-44 seconds.

2. Who is the unit named after?

The unit is named after the German physicist Max Planck, who is known for his contributions to quantum theory and the development of the Planck constant.

3. Why is the Planck unit of time important?

The Planck unit of time is important because it is the smallest unit of time that can be measured, and it is used to understand the fundamental properties of the universe at the smallest scale, such as the behavior of particles and the fabric of space-time.

4. How is the Planck unit of time related to other units of time?

The Planck unit of time is related to other units of time, such as seconds and years, through mathematical equations that involve the speed of light and fundamental constants. However, it is not commonly used in everyday measurements and is mostly used in theoretical physics and cosmology.

5. What is the significance of the value of the Planck unit of time?

The value of the Planck unit of time, which is incredibly small, reflects the idea that at the most fundamental level, time and space are discrete and quantized. It also helps scientists understand the behavior of the universe in extreme conditions, such as during the Big Bang or in black holes.

Similar threads

Replies
2
Views
1K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
5
Replies
164
Views
37K
  • Other Physics Topics
Replies
2
Views
4K
  • Special and General Relativity
5
Replies
146
Views
6K
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
14
Views
29K
  • Cosmology
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
2
Replies
56
Views
5K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
7
Views
1K
Back
Top