What proof do we have that TIME exists?

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The discussion centers on the nature and existence of time, questioning whether it is a fundamental aspect of the universe or merely a construct for measuring change. Participants explore the idea that time is linked to movement and consciousness, suggesting that our perception of time may be influenced by our biological makeup and the entropy of the universe. The conversation also touches on theoretical physics, with references to string theory and the work of physicists like Sean Carroll, indicating that time's characteristics are still under investigation. Additionally, the notion of time as a measurement rather than a tangible entity is emphasized, highlighting its role in providing reference points in our understanding of reality. Ultimately, the complexity of time and its relationship with consciousness and space remains a profound topic of inquiry.
  • #91
Homesick345 said:
Time as our psychological interpretation of events, whether they occur sequentially or all at once. Could time be our mind's way to arrange things, regardless of how they exist or occur really?

are you suggesting that things that are observed to happen in one order could "really" happen in some other order? What would "really" be "reality" in that case?
 
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  • #92
Drakkith said:
Except that the movements/changes/transformations don't all occur at once. They take time.

We measure time through change and movement but this does not mean we do not experience it.

Take away the concept of time and all we have are observations that are stored in our memory projected as experiences. We still don't have the technology to reached an absolute based starting point for time on a micro level. Well, we do have quantum clock (aluminum ion) near to a zero point precision but unless we can narrow it down to zero vibration state. And it is unlikely to find zero resistant particle.

A bit fuzzy. but i don't consider the existence of time because it is always relative to the movement, mass and state we are in. We can only measure that state and called it time.

Experience is how the brain perceived of the leaps from one state to another and eventually stored as information in the brain as memory.
 
  • #93
SHISHKABOB said:
are you suggesting that things that are observed to happen in one order could "really" happen in some other order? What would "really" be "reality" in that case?

Excellent point.
 
  • #94
junjunjun233 said:
Take away the concept of time and all we have are observations that are stored in our memory projected as experiences. We still don't have the technology to reached an absolute based starting point for time on a micro level. Well, we do have quantum clock (aluminum ion) near to a zero point precision but unless we can narrow it down to zero vibration state. And it is unlikely to find zero resistant particle.

Define an "absolute based starting point for time" and "zero resistant particle".
A bit fuzzy. but i don't consider the existence of time because it is always relative to the movement, mass and state we are in. We can only measure that state and called it time.

The existence of time is the only way two objects can occupy the same points in space. They do it at different times.

Experience is how the brain perceived of the leaps from one state to another and eventually stored as information in the brain as memory.

I don't see how this is related to time in any way. Whether we are here to experience it or not the universe has time.
 
  • #95
Drakkith said:
Define an "absolute based starting point for time" and "zero resistant particle".


The existence of time is the only way two objects can occupy the same points in space. They do it at different times.



I don't see how this is related to time in any way. Whether we are here to experience it or not the universe has time.

Zero point energy in a vacuum. And maybe it has to do with the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics that particles can't be stop completely. However, some behavior of specific particles interactions came close such as bosons given even number of electrons,protons and neutrons. When subjected to low temperature, bosons become a Bose-einstein condensate, in which a ground state occurs and the closest you can get to stopping their motion. However, there is always a fermion in each quantum state and obeys pauli excl principle that instead of going through a ground state, they fill all the lowest states in the system. Perhaps "Time" doesn't exist as objective but subjective. I might be wrong. Ill remain agnostic about it.
 
  • #96
Without time matter cannot exist. Time is movement and not what you observe on the dials of a watch. After all was not time born with the big bang?
 
  • #97
junjunjun233 said:
Zero point energy in a vacuum. And maybe it has to do with the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics that particles can't be stop completely. However, some behavior of specific particles interactions came close such as bosons given even number of electrons,protons and neutrons. When subjected to low temperature, bosons become a Bose-einstein condensate, in which a ground state occurs and the closest you can get to stopping their motion. However, there is always a fermion in each quantum state and obeys pauli excl principle that instead of going through a ground state, they fill all the lowest states in the system. Perhaps "Time" doesn't exist as objective but subjective. I might be wrong. Ill remain agnostic about it.

I have no idea what you are trying to say here.
 
  • #98
Drakkith said:
I have no idea what you are trying to say here.

It simply means that time might not exist, just entropy. Or Time is the cause for entropy.

Motion replaces time and time no longer exist. We live in motion not time.
 
  • #99
junjunjun233 said:
It simply means that time might not exist, just entropy. Or Time is the cause for entropy.

Motion replaces time and time no longer exist. We live in motion not time.

How do you have motion without time?
 
  • #100
junjunjun233 said:
It simply means that time might not exist, just entropy. Or Time is the cause for entropy.

Motion replaces time and time no longer exist. We live in motion not time.
This doesn't make any sense at all to me.
 
  • #101
Chalnoth said:
This doesn't make any sense at all to me.

A large part of this thread simply doesn't make any sense.
 
  • #102
isnt the present the frame of reference in which the wave function is collapsed?
 
  • #103
Drakkith said:
A large part of this thread simply doesn't make any sense.
Yeah.

But in this case, equating entropy with time makes no sense whatsoever of a reversible adiabatic processes where entropy is conserved, but the system nonetheless changes.
 
  • #104
Chalnoth said:
Yeah.

But in this case, equating entropy with time makes no sense whatsoever of a reversible adiabatic processes where entropy is conserved, but the system nonetheless changes.

Adiabatic, reversible adiabatic, isentropic flow; everything that involve movements/changes has to do with time. And we fill each gaps with time. Time makes perfect sense in every aspect of moving bodies; ie energy, heat, particle etc. Unless time is on a separate body or in a different dimensional QUACK.

In any case, even isentropic is only assumption and not totally conserved.

Time only appears in the equation of physics but no one is sure about it.

Imo. I'm agnostic about it.

How do you make sense of time then?
 
  • #105
junjunjun233 said:
Adiabatic, reversible adiabatic, isentropic flow; everything that involve movements/changes has to do with time. And we fill each gaps with time.

What gaps?

Time only appears in the equation of physics but no one is sure about it.

I'm pretty sure that time exists whether or not it is in our physics equations.
 
  • #106
junjunjun233 said:
It simply means that time might not exist, just entropy. Or Time is the cause for entropy.

Motion replaces time and time no longer exist. We live in motion not time.
Time is motion! You cannot have motion without time!
 
  • #107
junjunjun233 said:
How do you make sense of time then?
As I said earlier, time is a model that is useful for making sense out of our universe. It is most easily understood in physics as being a dimension akin to the three spatial dimensions we are more familiar with.
 
  • #108
Chalnoth said:
As I said earlier, time is a model that is useful for making sense out of our universe. It is most easily understood in physics as being a dimension akin to the three spatial dimensions we are more familiar with.

I understand the importance of time in our equation to make a model of everything we need to measure in reality.

This is as far as i can understand time without using it as extra dimension just to complete the equation and eventually complicates everything.

Either;
Time is the mechanism that causes everything to move (4th dimension) Or, Time is simply a description of that state in which it has nothing to do with time.
 
  • #109
tanzanos said:
Time is motion! You cannot have motion without time!

Actually, it can be the other way around. You cannot have time without motion. Since motion always exists.
 
  • #110
junjunjun233 said:
I understand the importance of time in our equation to make a model of everything we need to measure in reality.
That's the only real way to understand time. When you try to put the concept into colloquial words, you necessarily lose information.

junjunjun233 said:
Either;
Time is the mechanism that causes everything to move (4th dimension) Or, Time is simply a description of that state in which it has nothing to do with time.
Neither of these make any sense at all to me. Time doesn't cause anything to move (or not move). And how is it that time can be a description that has nothing to do with time?
 
  • #111
Chalnoth said:
That's the only real way to understand time. When you try to put the concept into colloquial words, you necessarily lose information.


Neither of these make any sense at all to me. Time doesn't cause anything to move (or not move). And how is it that time can be a description that has nothing to do with time?

I always thought that time is non physical and besides mathematically it is not needed, and to make sense of reality, we might as well make abstraction of time in our interpretation of Nature.

Somehow, in the case for matter, whatever the conditions, it is always set in motion for whatever reason that's why i came to that conclusion that time might be a separate physical entity that interacts with matter rather than non physical which is very unlikely.

Maybe I am just confused and try to make sense in a different way.
 
  • #112
junjunjun233 said:
Actually, it can be the other way around. You cannot have time without motion. Since motion always exists.

what's an example of "motion without time"?
 
  • #113
junjunjun233 said:
I always thought that time is non physical and besides mathematically it is not needed, and to make sense of reality, we might as well make abstraction of time in our interpretation of Nature.

What? This seems to me to be like saying distance is not needed and is non physical. We need both time and distance to make sense of reality.

Somehow, in the case for matter, whatever the conditions, it is always set in motion for whatever reason that's why i came to that conclusion that time might be a separate physical entity that interacts with matter rather than non physical which is very unlikely.

Maybe I am just confused and try to make sense in a different way.

What about non-matter such as light? And how could time be a physical entity?
 
  • #114
I often prefer to ask, "what change is it?"
 
  • #115
junjunjun233 said:
I always thought that time is non physical and besides mathematically it is not needed, and to make sense of reality, we might as well make abstraction of time in our interpretation of Nature.
The only way to understand reality at a deep level is through mathematics.
 
  • #116
I've often heard that there is evidence the time exists because clocks are moving. However that is a poor statement. When a clock or watch has no electricity it does nothing, yet does time stop then? Clocks and watches run on electricity, not time.
 
  • #117
Chalnoth said:
The only way to understand reality at a deep level is through mathematics.

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." - Albert Einstein
 
  • #118
Homesick345 said:
"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." - Albert Einstein
Taking a famous scientist out of context is quote mining. It's not only lying, it's putting the lie in somebody else's mouth. It's disgusting.
 
  • #119
Chalnoth said:
Taking a famous scientist out of context is quote mining. It's not only lying, it's putting the lie in somebody else's mouth. It's disgusting.

mmm ...I wasn't lying, not even trying to put anything out of context (don't even know what is the right context, & I don't even understand Einstein quote fully, except that it deals with math application to reality, which was what you mentionned)- however a violent reaction of this sort, (that includes name-calling) is deeply disturbing. Why are you so angry?
 
  • #120
Homesick345 said:
mmm ...I wasn't lying, not even trying to put anything out of context (don't even know what is the right context, & I don't even understand Einstein quote fully, except that it deals with math application to reality, which was what you mentionned)- however a violent reaction of this sort, (that includes name-calling) is deeply disturbing. Why are you so angry?

well, if you don't understand the quote, or say that you do not, then why would you use it in an argument?

And anyways, he called what you *did* disgusting, not *you*.
 

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