Time's Constant (Week 2)

Time is the rate of change of an event. Space is the extent of the
change, and is equal to the quantity of substance which it encompasses.

A space-time event refers to the combined rate and extent of the
incremental changes which constitute the event.

A planet, star, or galaxy moves through space at a specific velocity and
for a specified duration and distance, depending on the mass and
density of the body, the medium of travel, and the forces which act upon it.

In general, space-time is a continuum in which there is no spatial
volume or time interval that is void of substance or activity, only a
more or less coherent interaction of events occurring at various
orders of magnitude and scale and at different velocities and durations.

All objects and events are constituents of space, and evolve at time
durations and velocities which correspond to their changing states.

Space-time events are influenced by other events in varying degrees.
The more an event is influenced by another event, the less the degree
of difference in space and time between the events.

Space-time relations are the absolute or observed intervals which occur
between the beginnings and endings of events, or which separate
events, in space and time.

Observation is the ability to distinguish change within a range of
greatest and least occurrence of mass, energy, and lifespan.

The observation of events is affected by the relative motions of the
observer and the observed.

Relative values for space-time intervals are determined by the
observer's fixed or moving position in relation to the position of the
events which are being observed.

Variations in the observation of space-time intervals tend to alter the
observer's awareness of them.

Although distances and times vary for different observers, they form
an absolute space-time interval for all observers.

Both the process of observing events and the events themselves have
absolute time values.

The observation of events is a result of the function of sensory organs
which detect physical events in the outside world, and of the nervous
system which transmits sensory information to the brain where it is
recorded and processed in various ways.

The rates of reception and transmission in the nervous system produce
a time lag which prevents the brain from processing information
instantaneously.

The time required to make an observation depends upon the combined
rates of reception and transmission in the nervous system, along with
the feedback rates governing the processes of the brain.

By processing information which has been recorded in memory, the
brain is able to observe the continuity of present events, recognize
past events, and predict future events. Future events are predicted by
analyzing recurring patterns of information, and forming judgments
based on the causal relations which determine those patterns.

The ability to remember or predict events is due both to the causal
direction of events in time, and the functions of the brain which
process the events.

Two or more events which occur at the same time are simultaneous.

Events which are simultaneous occur at nearly the same time, but do
not necessarily begin or end at the same time or have equal time values.

Although the consequences of changing events may be observed over
time, such as the gradual buildup of a mountain chain or the lifecycle
of a star, the combined action of all events occurring in the universe
at any given moment is nearly instantaneous.

All events occur simultaneously in the present.

The instantaneous moment of time in which all events occur is equal to
the minimum length of time required to cause a change.*

The average time rate at which all events occur is equal to the sum of
the rates divided by the number of events.

The instantaneous moment of time in which all events occur, and the
average rate of the events are constant.

J. H.

* In quantum physics, the minimum amount of time which is meaningful is equal to the unit of time known as the Plank time, or 10-43 sec. The Plank time is calculated by combining the fundamental constants of gravity, the average speed of light, and Plank's constant. The Plank time is given by the square root of Gh/c5.