Quote:
Originally Posted by ldsoftwaresteve
Something makes electrons spin and chemical reactions take place.
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I think this misunderstands the nature of "spin"- nothing is spinning in a traditional sense. Electrons carry angular momentum, but nothing is moving, and even at absolute zero, they still spin.
As to earlier notions of using the properties of the smallest particles to "define" measuring sticks for time, how do we know that fundamental particles have any extent at all? How do we know they aren't points?
Finally, to define time maybe one important thing to do is to figure out everything we know about that which we are trying to describe. I'll attempt a brief list
1. Time exists independently of measuring devices (for this observation we note that mechanical, electromagnetic, etc. Any device we make to measure time can be synchronized locally to any other device that we use to measure time). Because, for instance, electromagnetic devices can tell the same time as mechanical devices we can draw the tentative conclusion that the same "time" flows in both theories.
2. Time is wrapped up in space. The evidence for this is that if we set two synchronized clocks in relative motion, they are no longer synched. Similarly, if we put a clock on top of a mountain, it is no longer synched with the clock on bottom of said mountain. This is regardless of the measuring device used.
3. More tentatively because not directly observable, on extremely short durations time is uncertain (in the sense that quantum mechanical systems of definite energy cannot be localized in time).
Are there any other properties we can give to time?
-Will
