Understand Time Measurements After Big Bang

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of time measurements, particularly in the context of the Big Bang. Participants explore how time is defined and measured, and whether these measurements are applicable to the early universe.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions how time can be measured in the context of the Big Bang, suggesting that current definitions of time may not apply to that moment.
  • Another participant argues that if one were present at the Big Bang with a clock, the measurement of time could still hold relevance, referencing modern definitions of a second based on light frequency.
  • A different participant acknowledges the explanation about measuring time in terms of 'shakes of light' and expresses understanding.
  • One participant presents a philosophical perspective, proposing that time is a spatial dimension without direction or progression, and that our perception of time as a linear progression is a construct of human interpretation.
  • Another participant notes that our time measurements are based on Earth's movements, suggesting that time is inherently comparative.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the applicability of time measurements to the Big Bang, with some supporting the relevance of current definitions and others questioning their validity. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on the nature of time.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various definitions of time and measurement, but there are limitations in the assumptions made about the applicability of these definitions to the early universe. The discussion also touches on philosophical implications that are not fully explored.

Rico_uk
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Hi everyone. This probably isn't the right place for people like me to ask stuff like this but I've searched the internet and am finding it hard to get any answers so I thought I'd post here. If the measurement of time is something we do by counting predictable repetitions, and these can vary dependent on relative speed to other objects etc. etc., how can people make statements like, 'we know what happened 1 second after the Big Bang? Surely our measurements of one second has absolutely nothing to do with our universe at that point in 'time'. Thank you and I hope someone can explain this to me!
 
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"Surely our measurements of one second has absolutely nothing to do with our universe at that point in 'time'."

Why not? Assuming I was there at the big bang and was sitting in some (very) shielded ship and watched my clock, what's wrong?

EDIT: Seconds in the modern world are defined as so many 'shakes' of a certain frequency of light.
 
Ok, if seconds is measured in 'shakes of light' then I guess that makes sense as light is always constant. Thanks for your help!
 
Time is a spatial dimension, just like space. The concept of "progression through time" really is a meaningless statement. Time is a coordinate system. You specify two positions in time. Each time position represents a defined set of coordinates for the space dimensions it represents. Draw a line between the two time positions and you have just drawn a timeline that defines how the defined spatial coordinates in space change from one time position to another time position. That's all time is. There's no direction. There's no "progress". Just an infinite series of change in spatial coordinates defined at infinite time points.

As an observer (that's us), our brains have to somehow interpret the series of change. Hard to do when when all time exists simultaneously just as all space exists simultaneously. Your birth, childhood, adulthood and death...exist at once. Our brains cope by assigning order to these individual time positions of our lives. And hence, this results in our interpretation of time as "progression" in a single direction in a timeline.

Of course, all this comes with significant philosophical ramifications of life, religion, consciousness and existence itself...which I won't get into at the moment.

WP
 
Our time is based how long it takes our planet go around the sun
Months, days, hours, and seconds. We compare this time to other things we see.
It is all a comparison.
 

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