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‭Patrick Skiba‬

‭6/6/2024‬

‭E‬

‭Michko‬

‭Time‬

‭The question of what time is has remained an inexplicable mystery to scientists. Is time‬

‭linear or nonlinear? Is time constant or does it speed up and slow down? These answers and‬

‭countless others are beyond our current technological capabilities; however, theories as to what‬

‭role time plays in the universe give us a glimpse as to what pieces of this metaphorical puzzle we‬

‭already possess; and which are left for discovery.‬

‭Albert Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity, is one of the most widely accepted‬

‭proposals as to the role time plays in the universe. Einstein essentially believes that time, space,‬

‭gravity, and the speed at which an object is moving with relation to its planet are all factors that‬

‭shape how reality is percieved at a specific pont in space. A common belief that springs from this‬

‭is idea of aging being differently experienced on different planets; which is relevant in our‬

‭society right now specifically, due to climate change. If future humans obtain advanced enough‬

‭technology that allows them to leave earth and inhabit a new planet in order to extend their lives‬

‭and escape climate change, that would be revolutionary for humanity. However, Einstein’s theory‬

‭itself actually proves this to be impossible. An organism's life span is a set length, to an extent.‬

‭No dog is going to live 100 years, whether it lives 10 or 15 is irrelevant. By switching planets the‬

‭organisms life span could theoretically change; however, the organisms perception of its life span‬

‭would remain the same. If a man lives 40 years, that 40 years will feel just as long as it does on‬

‭earth even if he spends it on a planet where time passes differently. This is the ‘relativity’ aspect‬
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‭of Einstein’s theory. An individuals perception of time is constant, although time may pass‬

‭differently on other planets, your life span is relative with how time passes on that planet.‬

‭Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity is the foundation for how we understand the role of space‬

‭and time in our universe. Although it does not explain what time is, Einstein’s theory essentially‬

‭provides the building blocks to a higher understanding and eventual answer to that question.‬

‭Still, Einstein’s theory contains several parts that are not quite concrete and in many areas‬

‭serves to create further questions. For example, Einstein was able to develop the Einstein Field‬

‭Equation which can be used to support Einstein’s theories within our universe. However, this‬

‭equation cannot be entirely validated in our universe. This creates the additional question of‬

‭whether there are potentially significant external forces acting on other universes that don’t exist‬

‭in ours. This study of how the largest bodies in the universe experience the effects of these‬

‭forces is complementary with the opposite field; quantum mechanics. However, this is the main‬

‭area where Einstein’s theory falls short. Quantum physicist Erwin Schrodinger was able to‬

‭uncover Schrodinger’s equation and use it to explain a particles likelihood of being in a specific‬

‭position. This equation has been proved to be valid on a quantum level in most situations;‬

‭however, like Einstein’s Field Equation, it is also not entirely usable in our universe. The issue is‬

‭that all the forces that act on any substance cannot be quantified in a way that completes‬

‭Schrodinger or Einstein’s theory mathematically. Both equations include many variables; some‬

‭of which can be filled, however some cannot. Additionally, we cannot see the actual impact‬

‭forces have on a quantum level due to the extremely small variability that we can’t observe yet‬

‭exists but undoubtedly has an impact on a system. Because of this, both equations are left‬

‭incomplete in a way where physicists studying both equations can get a very good idea of what‬

‭the forces effect is, but no exact measurement.‬

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‭Regardless of its accuracies and shortcomings, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity also‬

‭doesn’t explicitly address what time itself actually is. Of course, an exact answer to that question‬

‭is impossible. However, in some ways time can be seen as a system of measurement connecting‬

‭two points of reality. From this perspective, what really establishes time as linear? Human‬

‭perception of time is undoubtedly linear, life is experienced from birth to death, never stopping‬

‭or reversing. Yet, if time is seen as a system of measurement this linear view falls apart in a way.‬

‭If a tree is 6 feet away from a bush and 10 feet from a table, neither of these measurements come‬

‭before or after eachother, they both simply exist. Likewise, separate moments in reality aren’t‬

‭necessarily before or after eachother, they both simply exist; it’s human perception of time that‬

‭makes our experience of it linear, however time is undoubtedly not guaranteed to be linear.‬

‭That being said, despite all these potentialities, humans don’t currently possess the‬

‭technological capabilities to come anywhere close to answering all these questions. Determining‬

‭the lack of accuracy held by a theory as to the nature of the cosmic forces in our universe is‬

‭exponentially easier than finding the perfect explanation as to why the forces in our universe‬

‭behave the way they do. This makes it essential for our society to maintain a large population of‬

‭hard-working theoretical physicists searching for the explanations to these unanswerable‬

‭questions and countless others. We may not understand what time truly is for 100 years, we may‬

‭not understand for 1000 years; yet, all it takes is one person making an observation that can be‬

‭built off of by another. The key to societal advancement is teamwork, and thorough observation‬

‭of all that exists in our universe which we do understand, so that we can chip away at what we‬

‭don’t. Time could be the product of some lurking force that humans cannot yet recognize the‬

‭existence of, time could be its own dimension entirely, time could not even exist in the way we‬
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‭know it and instead be a component of something greater. Understanding the mystery of time is‬

‭essential to humanities understanding of our role in the universe.‬