Question About The Expansion of The Universe And Time

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the relationship between the accelerating expansion of the universe and the passage of time. Participants explore whether this expansion affects how time is perceived or measured, considering both theoretical and conceptual implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if the accelerating expansion of the universe influences the passage of time, asking if time is literally going faster or slower.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on the comparison point for measuring changes in the passage of time.
  • A participant humorously suggests comparing the passage of time to their experience at age 18, but later emphasizes the complexity of measuring time flow across different epochs of cosmic history.
  • This same participant argues that the question may be meaningless due to the lack of measurable differences in time flow, referencing general covariance and the idea that time coordinates can undergo nonlinear transformations without observable effects.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the meaningfulness of the question regarding time and cosmic expansion, with some suggesting it is a valid inquiry while others argue it lacks a basis for measurement.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in measuring time across different epochs and the implications of general covariance in the context of time perception.

silentbob14
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Does the accelerating expansion of the universe has any influence on the passage of time? In simple words, is the time literally going faster (or maybe slower)?
 
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silentbob14 said:
Does the accelerating expansion of the universe has any influence on the passage of time? In simple words, is the time literally going faster (or maybe slower)?

Compared to what?
 
Compared to when I was 18 :-D
It was too tempting not to say this
 
JulianM said:
Compared to when I was 18 :-D
It was too tempting not to say this

:-)

But seriously, maybe my #2 was not really clear. I guess the obvious answer would be "compared to how fast it was going before." The problem with this answer is that there is no measurement that can tell you how fast time is flowing now compared to how fast it was flowing in an earlier epoch of cosmic history. Therefore the question is meaningless. General covariance formalizes this: you can put your time coordinate through any nonlinear transformation you like, and there are no observable effects.
 

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