CONTENTS
1. What is Time?
2. What causes Time?
3. Why Time slows in gravity and with motion?
4. What is energy?
5. Why time is not a dimension?
6. How gravity works?
7. Why gravity is only attractive?
8. Acceleration and Twin paradox
9 The beautiful mechanism of length contraction?
10 What is inertia?
11. Why speed of light remains constant?
12. Why black holes cannot have singularity?
13. Is the universal expansion accelerating or time is slowing down?
14 Arrow of time
15 Space The final Frontier
16 How does this change our understanding of the universe?
17 Summary
18 Philosophy In A Cup Of Tea
19 Links to other sites
20 Time Quotes
1. What is Time?
2. What causes Time?
3. Why Time slows in gravity and with motion?
4. What is energy?
5. Why time is not a dimension?
6. How gravity works?
7. Why gravity is only attractive?
8. Acceleration and Twin paradox
9 The beautiful mechanism of length contraction?
10 What is inertia?
11. Why speed of light remains constant?
12. Why black holes cannot have singularity?
13. Is the universal expansion accelerating or time is slowing down?
14 Arrow of time
15 Space The final Frontier
16 How does this change our understanding of the universe?
17 Summary
18 Philosophy In A Cup Of Tea
19 Links to other sites
20 Time Quotes
| by M.H.Khan mkhan@timephysics.com |
The most dramatic aspect of the universe is that it is expanding and the presence of motion, forces and curved space-time just does not happen in
any space but in the expanding space. In general relativity matter produces curvature in space-time, this concept can also be extended to moving
objects and it can be shown that moving objects can also curve space-time. We also need to take into account the effect of expanding space on space-
time curvature produced by mass as well as motion. We have learned to ignore these possibilities as special and general theories of relativity were
developed at a time when the great discovery of expansion of the universe was not yet made.
Writer and physicist Paul Davies has called time Einstein’s unfinished revolution. Despite tremendous advancement in science and technology and
the precision with which time can be measured there is very little known about true nature of time. We know that time slows in gravity and with motion
however we do not really understand why it should slow down.
There are many questions about nature of time. What is time? What causes time? Why time slows in gravity? Why time slows in motion? Is time a
dimension? Is time travel possible? Does past or future exist? Why is there an arrow of time? Many philosophers and scientists have tried to answer
these questions with varying degree of success.
Aristotle may have came closest to understanding time when he speculated that time may be motion. Aristotle however said that time may not be
motion as motion could be slower or faster but not time. Aristotle did not have the privilege of knowing about Einstein’s relativity in which time also
becomes amenable to change. Similarly when Einstein was working to develop theory of general relativity and proposed the revolutionary idea that
mass curves space he did not know that universe was expanding. It is still remarkable that despite lack of this knowledge he developed the concept of
curved space-time.
The discovery that universe was expanding came 13 years after Einstein published his general relativity. By that time his concepts had already
gained popularity. Had Einstein known of this great discovery his work may have been far simpler and knowing his brilliance he may have incorporated
these ideas into his theories. Conceptually it is easier to derive space curvature in an expanding universe as an area of slower expansion under the
influence of gravitons.
In this article time is defined as the presence of motion and forces. It is proposed that the motion and forces are due to expansion of the universe.
Slower expansion of space around large masses like earth and sun could be considered as the cause of slower time linking time to the expansion of
space. Gravity is due to the tendency of matter composed of billions of particles orbiting at tremendous velocities to move from faster to slower time
when placed in a time differential. This explains why gravity is so weak yet extends to great distances and why it is always attractive. This new
approach towards understanding time eliminates the infinite gravity or singularity of black holes. It also shows us that not only gravity of large masses
but also motion of objects can curve space which leads to the beautiful mechanism of length contraction for moving bodies. It leads to a deeper
understanding of why time slows with motion and in gravity. It also provides a clear explanation of why there cannot be a twin paradox.
This new interpretation of time linking it with expansion of space may have been already confirmed by the discovery that the universal expansion
appears to be accelerating. If time is indeed related to the expansion of space and our time is slowing down then as we make measurements of light
emitted by distant supernova (when time was faster) we will be measuring their frequency changes from our slower time. This will give an illusion that
the universal expansion is accelerating. Similarly the pioneer anomaly can be explained by slowing of our time during the period the signal travels from
earth to pioneer space craft and back. These predictions are not based on any exotic phenomenon but on Einstein’s relativity and can be easily tested.
This new approach in understanding of time, motion, and gravity could bring about a revolution in physics.
any space but in the expanding space. In general relativity matter produces curvature in space-time, this concept can also be extended to moving
objects and it can be shown that moving objects can also curve space-time. We also need to take into account the effect of expanding space on space-
time curvature produced by mass as well as motion. We have learned to ignore these possibilities as special and general theories of relativity were
developed at a time when the great discovery of expansion of the universe was not yet made.
Writer and physicist Paul Davies has called time Einstein’s unfinished revolution. Despite tremendous advancement in science and technology and
the precision with which time can be measured there is very little known about true nature of time. We know that time slows in gravity and with motion
however we do not really understand why it should slow down.
There are many questions about nature of time. What is time? What causes time? Why time slows in gravity? Why time slows in motion? Is time a
dimension? Is time travel possible? Does past or future exist? Why is there an arrow of time? Many philosophers and scientists have tried to answer
these questions with varying degree of success.
Aristotle may have came closest to understanding time when he speculated that time may be motion. Aristotle however said that time may not be
motion as motion could be slower or faster but not time. Aristotle did not have the privilege of knowing about Einstein’s relativity in which time also
becomes amenable to change. Similarly when Einstein was working to develop theory of general relativity and proposed the revolutionary idea that
mass curves space he did not know that universe was expanding. It is still remarkable that despite lack of this knowledge he developed the concept of
curved space-time.
The discovery that universe was expanding came 13 years after Einstein published his general relativity. By that time his concepts had already
gained popularity. Had Einstein known of this great discovery his work may have been far simpler and knowing his brilliance he may have incorporated
these ideas into his theories. Conceptually it is easier to derive space curvature in an expanding universe as an area of slower expansion under the
influence of gravitons.
In this article time is defined as the presence of motion and forces. It is proposed that the motion and forces are due to expansion of the universe.
Slower expansion of space around large masses like earth and sun could be considered as the cause of slower time linking time to the expansion of
space. Gravity is due to the tendency of matter composed of billions of particles orbiting at tremendous velocities to move from faster to slower time
when placed in a time differential. This explains why gravity is so weak yet extends to great distances and why it is always attractive. This new
approach towards understanding time eliminates the infinite gravity or singularity of black holes. It also shows us that not only gravity of large masses
but also motion of objects can curve space which leads to the beautiful mechanism of length contraction for moving bodies. It leads to a deeper
understanding of why time slows with motion and in gravity. It also provides a clear explanation of why there cannot be a twin paradox.
This new interpretation of time linking it with expansion of space may have been already confirmed by the discovery that the universal expansion
appears to be accelerating. If time is indeed related to the expansion of space and our time is slowing down then as we make measurements of light
emitted by distant supernova (when time was faster) we will be measuring their frequency changes from our slower time. This will give an illusion that
the universal expansion is accelerating. Similarly the pioneer anomaly can be explained by slowing of our time during the period the signal travels from
earth to pioneer space craft and back. These predictions are not based on any exotic phenomenon but on Einstein’s relativity and can be easily tested.
This new approach in understanding of time, motion, and gravity could bring about a revolution in physics.
| NATURE OF TIME WHAT IS TIME? |
More powerful than all the armies of
the world, is an idea whose time has
come.
..................Victor Hugo
the world, is an idea whose time has
come.
..................Victor Hugo
People like us who believe in physics know
that the distinction between the past, the
present and the future is only a stubbornly
persistent illusion.
..........Albert Einstein
that the distinction between the past, the
present and the future is only a stubbornly
persistent illusion.
..........Albert Einstein