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Is time real or relative?

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Relative
68% 628 votes Total: 917 votes
Real
32% 289 votes

To begin, I would like to point out the faulty labeling of the two sides of this argument. As it is stated, it implies that believing in the relativity of time denotes a disbelief in time being real. A better argument would be between time being real or an illusion, consistent or relative, as one could believe time to be a consistent illusion or a real relativity. I am of the latter school of thought, but I've chosen to write under Relative, supposing that Real is meant to imply that time is consistent.

Time is often argued to be arbitrary, due to the fact that one day, defined as the time it takes a planet to complete one rotation, will span different lengths of actual time depending on the planet. A day on Saturn is less than half the length of a day on Earth. However, this does not mean that time is arbitrary, but rather our system of measuring it. Due to a lack of necessity, we have not devised a universal system for measuring time. If we colonize other planets and keep regular communication among them, such a system will undoubtedly be implemented. For now, we simply state everything in terms relative to Earth time.

Therefore, a system of labeling time is arbitrary, but time itself does exist. For one, wormholes are theorized to connect points in time in addition to space. Furthermore, the development of a theory of everything hinges in part on regarding time as one of the dimensions. This means that there is a universal flow of time, indicated by its ability to be scientifically categorized as a dimension and consist of points. The trouble lies in developing a universal scale, as few populations of similar objects all behave exactly the same.

Just as other physical dimensions and measurements can be manipulated, though, so too can time. Heat can increase volume and thus decrease density. Pressure can decrease volume and thus increase density. Pressure as a result of positive velocity also decreases mass. And positive velocity also decreases time, or rather the movement of it.

This is one point where regarding time as a dimension becomes tricky. It can refer to either a span of time, such as one hour, or the rate of passage, such as 364.9999999683 days per year (the rate of time for astronauts in orbit). Regarding it as akin to length, there does in fact exist a universal span, thus far not manipulable. Suppose we were to use the half-life of an atom of hydrogen as a universal unit of time, and we decide to call it a clack. In our current basis of


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Is time real or relative?

Relative
  • 1 of 36

    by Dave Nocera

    Techncially we are all time travelers, sitting at your computer you are moving through time. We are submerged in time and

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  • 2 of 36

    by Joe Murray

    The theory of relative time arose through the six classic pillars of science: a field observation, supporting verifiable

    read more

Real
  • 1 of 17

    by S E Garrett

    All of Reality as we perceive it is Relative Awareness and ambiguous Time, one of the three essential prerequisites for that

    read more

  • 2 of 17

    by Gary C. Gibson

    The inflation of space-time from a zero-dimensional state at the initial singularity was universal time=0. The implicit expansion

    read more

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