Friday, January 21

Manipulating Time In A Spaceship

Here's a little piece about time from Suzie. The bit I found interesting is the clock in the spaceship:

time alarm clock clip artIs there such a thing as time? Most likely we'd answer that there must be time because we can watch it tick by on our clocks, but this may not be proof that it exists.

Time is the duration between events, we measure it astronomically with reference to the sun or stars. If, however, nothing moved and there was nothing that changed would there still be time? Kant maintained it is simply something we impose on to reality in order to make the world more comprehensible.

There is so much to think about, so many questions like: Does time have a beginning and an end? Does it flow in one direction and so on. It's mysterious stuff because it can sometimes appear to be manipulated. Here's something interesting ...

Let's imagine two identical clocks, both accurate and synchronised. Now let's place one on a spaceship travelling away from earth and the other somewhere safe and sound in a secure cupboard, let's say in your office. Now when the spaceship finally returns, guess what?

The travelling clock will show that less time has elapsed than the clock sitting in the cupboard. It's true!

On a simpler level we all notice how time flies when we are having fun. It's the same period, according to our watch, but if we are waiting for something, time drags. Get engrossed in an interest and an hour can tick by in an instant.

Time is an illusion, like the rest of life. It all depends on how we see it.

Further Reading:
The Journey To Immortality
Slow Down Your Heartbeats To Live Longer
Make Something Of The Moment

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3 comments:

  1. Great post. The subject of time - or no time - is always intriguing.

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  2. Thanks for the link Mike, glad you could publish this. Suzie xx

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  3. wonder how or why that spaceship thing happens

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