Time
hideTime is a component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects. Time has been a major subject of religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a non-controversial manner applicable to all fields of study has consistently eluded the greatest scholars.
In physics as well as in other sciences, time is considered one of the few fundamental quantities. Time is used to define other quantities – such as velocity – and defining time in terms of such quantities would result in circularity of definition. An operational definition of time, wherein one says that observing a certain number of repetitions of one or another standard cyclical event (such as the passage of a free-swinging pendulum) constitutes one standard unit such as the second, is highly useful in the conduct of both advanced experiments and everyday affairs of life. The operational definition leaves aside the question whether there is something called time, apart from the counting activity just mentioned, that flows and that can be measured. Investigations of a single continuum called spacetime brings the nature of time into association with related questions into the nature of space, questions that have their roots in the works of early students of natural philosophy.
Among prominent philosophers, there are two distinct viewpoints on time. One view is that time is part of the fundamental structure of the universe, a dimension in which events occur in sequence. Time travel, in this view, becomes a possibility as other "times" persist like frames of a film strip, spread out across the time line. Sir Isaac Newton subscribed to this realist view, and hence it is sometimes referred to as Newtonian time. The opposing view is that time does not refer to any kind of "container" that events and objects "move through", nor to any entity that "flows", but that it is instead part of a fundamental intellectual structure (together with space and number) within which humans sequence and compare events. This second view, in the tradition of Gottfried Leibniz and Immanuel Kant, holds that time is neither an event nor a thing, and thus is not itself measurable nor can it be travelled.
Temporal measurement has occupied scientists and technologists, and was a prime motivation in navigation and astronomy. Periodic events and periodic motion have long served as standards for units of time. Examples include the apparent motion of the sun across the sky, the phases of the moon, the swing of a pendulum, and the beat of a heart. Currently, the international unit of time, the second, is defined in terms of radiation emitted by caesium atoms (see below). Time is also of significant social importance, having economic value ("time is money") as well as personal value, due to an awareness of the limited time in each day and in human life spans.
For more information about Time, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with time
Broadcasters' woes could spell trouble for free TV
Dec 29, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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(AP) -- For more than 60 years, TV stations have broadcast news, sports and entertainment for free and made their money by showing commercials. That might not work much longer.
Psychologists show that future-minded people make better decisions for their health
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 23, 2009 |
4 / 5 (3) |
0
When New Year's Eve rolls around and you're deciding whether to have another glass of champagne, your decision may be predicted by your perspective of the future.
Racing, shooting and zapping your way to better visual skills
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
Do your kids want a Wii, a PlayStation or an Xbox 360 this year? This holiday gift season is packed with popular gaming systems and adrenaline-pumping, sharpshooting games. What's a parent to do? Is there any redeeming value ...
Proposed Spacetime Structure Could Provide Hints for Quantum Gravity Theory
Dec 16, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (55) |
16
(PhysOrg.com) -- Spacetime, which consists of three dimensions of space and one time dimension, is such a large, abstract concept that scientists have a very difficult time understanding and defining it. Moreover, ...
Comcast unveils online viewing of cable TV shows
Dec 15, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- Comcast subscribers can now watch several cable TV shows and movies on the Internet.
Are most consumers planners when it comes to time and money? New study shows some benefits
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Dec 15, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Planning -- regarding money or time -- can bring tangible benefits to consumers. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research discovered what makes planners tick.
AOL finally regains independence from Time Warner
Dec 10, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
(AP) -- AOL resumed life as an independent Internet company Thursday as it completed its spinoff from Time Warner Inc. and closed the book on one of the most disastrous business combinations in history.
Time Warner Cable to Comcast: Integration not easy
Dec 08, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- The chief executive of Time Warner Cable Inc. offers this warning to Comcast Corp. on its purchase of a controlling stake in NBC Universal: Mixing content and distribution is harder to accomplish than it looks.
You've Got Freedom: AOL ends ties with Time Warner
Dec 06, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- AOL is shaking loose from Time Warner Inc. and heading into the next decade the way it began this one, as an independent company. Unlike in the 1990s, though, when AOL got rich selling dial-up Internet ...
Comcast-NBC deal shows future is in content
Dec 04, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
0
(AP) -- Comcast Corp. is buying control of NBC Universal from GE largely because Comcast wants to own more movies and TV shows. The point is to give it a position of strength if fewer people sign up for its ...
Time Warner Cable asks help on rising program fees
Nov 25, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(AP) -- Time Warner Cable Inc. is asking the public for help as it tries to curtail increases in the programming fees it has to pay to carry cable channels and broadcast stations on its systems.
AOL offers buyouts to over a third of work force
Nov 19, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- The struggling Internet company AOL plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs - more than a third of its work force - as it prepares to separate from Time Warner and finally sever their ill-fated marriage.
Study: Can meditation sharpen our attention?
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 13, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (13) |
5
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that people can train their minds to stay focused.
AOL to log additional $200M in restructuring costs
Nov 12, 2009 |
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(AP) -- New regulatory filings suggest many more layoffs could be coming at AOL LLC as it separates from Time Warner Inc. by the end of the year.
Earthquakes actually aftershocks of 19th century quakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 04, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (19) |
13
(PhysOrg.com) -- When small earthquakes shake the central U.S., citizens often fear the rumbles are signs a big earthquake is coming. Fortunately, new research instead shows that most of these earthquakes ...
