The Arrow of Time in Physics DAVID WALLACE
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The Second Law of Thermodynamics Forbids Time Travel
Cosmology, 2014, Vol. 18. 212-222 Cosmology.com, 2014 The Second Law Of Thermodynamics Forbids Time Travel Marko Popovic Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA Abstract Four space-time coordinates define one thermodynamic parameter - Volume. Cell/ organism growth is one of the most fundamental properties of living creatures. The growth is characterized by irreversible change of the volume of the cell/organism. This irreversible change of volume (growth of the cell/organism) makes the system irreversibly change its thermodynamic state. Irreversible change of the systems thermodynamic state makes impossible return to the previous state characterized by state parameters. The impossibility to return the system to the previous state leads to conclusion that even to artificially turn back the arrow of time (as a parameter), it is not possible to turn back the state of the organism and its surroundings. Irreversible change of thermodynamic state of the organism is also consequence of the accumulation of entropy during life. So even if we find the way to turn back the time arrow it is impossible to turn back the state of the thermodynamic system (including organism) because of irreversibility of thermodynamic/ physiologic processes in it. Keywords: Time travel, Entropy, Living Organism, Surroundings, Irreversibility Cosmology, 2014, Vol. 18. 212-222 Cosmology.com, 2014 1. Introduction The idea of time travel has fascinated humanity since ancient times and can be found in texts as old as Mahabharata and Talmud. Later it continued to be developed in literature (i.e. Dickens' “A Christmas Carol”, or Twain's “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court”…). -
The Geologic Time Scale Is the Eon
Exploring Geologic Time Poster Illustrated Teacher's Guide #35-1145 Paper #35-1146 Laminated Background Geologic Time Scale Basics The history of the Earth covers a vast expanse of time, so scientists divide it into smaller sections that are associ- ated with particular events that have occurred in the past.The approximate time range of each time span is shown on the poster.The largest time span of the geologic time scale is the eon. It is an indefinitely long period of time that contains at least two eras. Geologic time is divided into two eons.The more ancient eon is called the Precambrian, and the more recent is the Phanerozoic. Each eon is subdivided into smaller spans called eras.The Precambrian eon is divided from most ancient into the Hadean era, Archean era, and Proterozoic era. See Figure 1. Precambrian Eon Proterozoic Era 2500 - 550 million years ago Archaean Era 3800 - 2500 million years ago Hadean Era 4600 - 3800 million years ago Figure 1. Eras of the Precambrian Eon Single-celled and simple multicelled organisms first developed during the Precambrian eon. There are many fos- sils from this time because the sea-dwelling creatures were trapped in sediments and preserved. The Phanerozoic eon is subdivided into three eras – the Paleozoic era, Mesozoic era, and Cenozoic era. An era is often divided into several smaller time spans called periods. For example, the Paleozoic era is divided into the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous,and Permian periods. Paleozoic Era Permian Period 300 - 250 million years ago Carboniferous Period 350 - 300 million years ago Devonian Period 400 - 350 million years ago Silurian Period 450 - 400 million years ago Ordovician Period 500 - 450 million years ago Cambrian Period 550 - 500 million years ago Figure 2. -
The Arrow of Time Volume 7 Paul Davies Summer 2014 Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Journal Homepage P.O
The arrow of time Volume 7 Paul Davies Summer 2014 Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, journal homepage P.O. Box 871504, Tempe, AZ 852871504, USA. www.euresisjournal.org [email protected] Abstract The arrow of time is often conflated with the popular but hopelessly muddled concept of the “flow” or \passage" of time. I argue that the latter is at best an illusion with its roots in neuroscience, at worst a meaningless concept. However, what is beyond dispute is that physical states of the universe evolve in time with an objective and readily-observable directionality. The ultimate origin of this asymmetry in time, which is most famously captured by the second law of thermodynamics and the irreversible rise of entropy, rests with cosmology and the state of the universe at its origin. I trace the various physical processes that contribute to the growth of entropy, and conclude that gravitation holds the key to providing a comprehensive explanation of the elusive arrow. 1. Time's arrow versus the flow of time The subject of time's arrow is bedeviled by ambiguous or poor terminology and the con- flation of concepts. Therefore I shall begin my essay by carefully defining terms. First an uncontentious statement: the states of the physical universe are observed to be distributed asymmetrically with respect to the time dimension (see, for example, Refs. [1, 2, 3, 4]). A simple example is provided by an earthquake: the ground shakes and buildings fall down. We would not expect to see the reverse sequence, in which shaking ground results in the assembly of a building from a heap of rubble. -
DECODING the PAST: the Work of Archaeologists
to TEACHINGRT WITH THE POWER OOOF OBJECTS Smithsonian Institution November/December 1995 DECODING THE PAST: The Work of Archaeologists Inside Subjects Grades Publication of Art to Zoo is made possible Lesson Plan Social Studies 4–9 through the generous support of the Pacific Take-Home Page Science Mutual Foundation. in English/Spanish Language Arts CONTENTS Introduction page 3 Lesson Plan Step 1 page 6 Worksheet 1 page 7 Lesson Plan Step 2 page 8 Worksheet 2 page 9 Lesson Plan Step 3 page 10 Take-Home Page page 11 Take-Home Page in Spanish page 13 Resources page 15 Art to Zoo’s purpose is to help teachers bring into their classrooms the educational power of museums and other community resources. Art to Zoo draws on the Smithsonian’s hundreds of exhibitions and programs—from art, history, and science to aviation and folklife—to create classroom- ready materials for grades four through nine. Each of the four annual issues explores a single topic through an interdisciplinary, multicultural Above photo: The layering of the soil can tell archaeologists much about the past. (Big Bend Reservoir, South Dakota) approach. The Smithsonian invites teachers to duplicate Cover photo: Smithsonian Institution archaeologists take a Art to Zoo materials for educational use. break during the River Basin Survey project, circa 1950. DECODING THE PAST: The Work of Archaeologists Whether you’re ten or one hundred years old, you have a sense of the past—the human perception of the passage of time, as recent as an hour ago or as far back as a decade ago. -
Chapter 22 the Entropy of the Universe and the Maximum Entropy Production Principle
Chapter 22 The Entropy of the Universe and the Maximum Entropy Production Principle Charles H. Lineweaver Abstract If the universe had been born in a high entropy, equilibrium state, there would be no stars, no planets and no life. Thus, the initial low entropy of the universe is the fundamental reason why we are here. However, we have a poor understanding of why the initial entropy was low and of the relationship between gravity and entropy. We are also struggling with how to meaningfully define the maximum entropy of the universe. This is important because the entropy gap between the maximum entropy of the universe and the actual entropy of the universe is a measure of the free energy left in the universe to drive all processes. I review these entropic issues and the entropy budget of the universe. I argue that the low initial entropy of the universe could be the result of the inflationary origin of matter from unclumpable false vacuum energy. The entropy of massive black holes dominates the entropy budget of the universe. The entropy of a black hole is proportional to the square of its mass. Therefore, determining whether the Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MaxEP) applies to the entropy of the universe is equivalent to determining whether the accretion disks around black holes are maximally efficient at dumping mass onto the central black hole. In an attempt to make this question more precise, I review the magnetic angular momentum transport mechanisms of accretion disks that are responsible for increasing the masses of black holes 22.1 The Entropy of the Observable Universe Stars are shining, supernovae are exploding, black holes are forming, winds on planetary surfaces are blowing dust around, and hot things like coffee mugs are cooling down. -
The Philosophy and Physics of Time Travel: the Possibility of Time Travel
University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well Honors Capstone Projects Student Scholarship 2017 The Philosophy and Physics of Time Travel: The Possibility of Time Travel Ramitha Rupasinghe University of Minnesota, Morris, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/honors Part of the Philosophy Commons, and the Physics Commons Recommended Citation Rupasinghe, Ramitha, "The Philosophy and Physics of Time Travel: The Possibility of Time Travel" (2017). Honors Capstone Projects. 1. https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/honors/1 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Philosophy and Physics of Time Travel: The possibility of time travel Ramitha Rupasinghe IS 4994H - Honors Capstone Project Defense Panel – Pieranna Garavaso, Michael Korth, James Togeas University of Minnesota, Morris Spring 2017 1. Introduction Time is mysterious. Philosophers and scientists have pondered the question of what time might be for centuries and yet till this day, we don’t know what it is. Everyone talks about time, in fact, it’s the most common noun per the Oxford Dictionary. It’s in everything from history to music to culture. Despite time’s mysterious nature there are a lot of things that we can discuss in a logical manner. Time travel on the other hand is even more mysterious. -
Mathematical Languages Shape Our Understanding of Time in Physics Physics Is Formulated in Terms of Timeless, Axiomatic Mathematics
comment Corrected: Publisher Correction Mathematical languages shape our understanding of time in physics Physics is formulated in terms of timeless, axiomatic mathematics. A formulation on the basis of intuitionist mathematics, built on time-evolving processes, would ofer a perspective that is closer to our experience of physical reality. Nicolas Gisin n 1922 Albert Einstein, the physicist, met in Paris Henri Bergson, the philosopher. IThe two giants debated publicly about time and Einstein concluded with his famous statement: “There is no such thing as the time of the philosopher”. Around the same time, and equally dramatically, mathematicians were debating how to describe the continuum (Fig. 1). The famous German mathematician David Hilbert was promoting formalized mathematics, in which every real number with its infinite series of digits is a completed individual object. On the other side the Dutch mathematician, Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer, was defending the view that each point on the line should be represented as a never-ending process that develops in time, a view known as intuitionistic mathematics (Box 1). Although Brouwer was backed-up by a few well-known figures, like Hermann Weyl 1 and Kurt Gödel2, Hilbert and his supporters clearly won that second debate. Hence, time was expulsed from mathematics and mathematical objects Fig. 1 | Debating mathematicians. David Hilbert (left), supporter of axiomatic mathematics. L. E. J. came to be seen as existing in some Brouwer (right), proposer of intuitionist mathematics. Credit: Left: INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo; idealized Platonistic world. right: reprinted with permission from ref. 18, Springer These two debates had a huge impact on physics. -
Existence Is Evidence of Immortality by Michael Huemer
Existence Is Evidence of Immortality by Michael Huemer Abstract: Time may be infinite in both directions. If it is, then, if persons could live at most once in all of time, the probability that you would be alive now would be zero. Since you are alive now, with certainty, either the past is finite, or persons can live more than once. 1. Overview Do persons continue to exist after the destruction of their bodies? Many believe so. This might occur either because we have immaterial souls that persist in another, non-physical realm; or because our bodies will be somehow reanimated after we die; or because we will live on in new bodies in the physical realm.1 I shall suggest herein that the third alternative, “reincarnation,” is surprisingly plausible. More specifically, I shall argue (i) that your present existence constitutes significant evidence that you will be reincarnated, and (ii) that if the history of the universe is infinite, then you will be reincarnated. My argument is entirely secular and philosophical. The basic line of thought is something like this. The universe has an infinite future. Given unlimited time, every qualitative state that has ever occurred will occur again, infinitely many times. This includes the qualitative states that in fact brought about your current life. A sufficiently precise repetition of the right conditions will qualify as literally creating another incarnation of you. Some theories about the nature of persons rule this out; however, these theories also imply that, given an infinite past, your present existence is a probability-zero event. -
HYPOTHESIS: How Defining Nature of Time Might Explain Some of Actual Physics Enigmas P Letizia
HYPOTHESIS: How Defining Nature of Time Might Explain Some of Actual Physics Enigmas P Letizia To cite this version: P Letizia. HYPOTHESIS: How Defining Nature of Time Might Explain Some of Actual Physics Enigmas: A possible explanation of Dark Energy. 2017. hal-01424099 HAL Id: hal-01424099 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01424099 Preprint submitted on 3 Jan 2017 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike| 4.0 International License SUBMITTED FOR STUDY January 1st, 2017 HYPOTHESIS: How Defining Nature of Time Might Explain Some of Actual Physics Enigmas P. Letizia Abstract Nowadays it seems that understanding the Nature of Time is not more a priority. It seems commonly admitted that Time can not be clearly nor objectively defined. I do not agree with this vision. I am among those who think that Time has an objective reality in Physics. If it has a reality, then it must be understood. My first ambition with this paper was to submit for study a proposition concerning the Nature of Time. However, once defined I understood that this proposition embeds an underlying logic. -
A Direction of Time in Time-Symmetric Electrodynamics
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MASTER’S THESIS A Direction of Time in Time-Symmetric Electrodynamics Author: Supervisor: Kathleen TATEM Dr. Erick WEINBERG A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Philosophical Foundations of Physics Graduate School of Arts and Sciences May 17, 2017 ii In grateful memory of my mentor, Dr. John M. J. Madey. iii Columbia University Abstract Departments of Physics and Philosophy Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Master of Arts A Direction of Time in Time-Symmetric Electrodynamics by Kathleen TATEM This thesis introduces a recent analytical verification which is of significance to the philosophical debate on the direction of time in the case of electromagnetic radiation. I give an overview of a the problem of the direction of time in thermodynamics, as well as how it is solved with the Past Hypothesis, a hypothesis that the macrostate of the universe at the moment of the Big Bang was an extremely low-entropy state. I also describe the standard accepted textbook solution to the radiation problem, as well as an alternative time-symmetric theory presented by Feynman and Wheeler that had historically been considered less favorable to physicists. Analytical ver- ification supports that time-symmetric accounts of radiation such as Feynman and Wheeler’s theory are needed for radiation fields to comply with energy conservation and the fundamental equations of electromagnetism. I describe two other philo- sophical accounts of the direction of time in radiation theory, and then argue that proposed experiments based on this recent analytical result can help us rule out some of the alternative philosophical proposals on the origin of the direction of time in radiation theory. -
Chaos, Dissipation, Arrow of Time, in Quantum Physics I the National Institute of Standards and Technology Was Established in 1988 by Congress to "Assist
Chaos, Dissipation, Arrow of Time, in Quantum Physics i The National Institute of Standards and Technology was established in 1988 by Congress to "assist industry in the development of technology . needed to improve product quality, to modernize manufacturing processes, to ensure product reliability . and to facilitate rapid commercialization . of products based on new scientific discoveries." NIST, originally founded as the National Bureau of Standards in 1901, works to strengthen U.S. industry's competitiveness; advance science and engineering; and improve public health, safety, and the environment. One of the agency's basic functions is to develop, maintain, and retain custody of the national standards of measurement, and provide the means and methods for comparing standards used in science, engineering, manufacturing, commerce, industry, and education with the standards adopted or recognized by the Federal Government. As an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration, NIST conducts basic and applied research in the physical sciences and engineering and performs related services. The Institute does generic and precompetitive work on new and advanced technologies. NIST's research facilities are located at Gaithersburg, MD 20899, and at Boulder, CO 80303. Major technical operating units and their principal activities are listed below. For more information contact the Public Inquiries Desk, 301-975-3058. Technology Services Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory • Manufacturing Technology Centers Program • Precision -
Time in Quantum Cosmology of FRW F(R) Theories
galaxies Article Time in Quantum Cosmology of FRW f (R) Theories C. Ramírez 1,* ID and V. Vázquez-Báez 2 ID 1 Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico 2 Facultad de Ingeniería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +52-222-229-5637 Received: 1 December 2017; Accepted: 9 January 2018; Published: 17 January 2018 Abstract: The time problem is a problem of canonical quantum gravity that has long been known about; it is related to the relativistic invariance and the consequent absence of an explicit time variable in the quantum equations. This fact complicates the interpretation of the wave function of the universe. Following proposals to assign the clock function to a scalar field, we look at the scalar degree of freedom contained in f (R) theories. For this purpose we consider a quadratic f (R) theory in an equivalent formulation with a scalar field, with a FRW metric, and consider its Wheeler-DeWitt equation. The wave function is obtained numerically and is consistent with the interpretation of the scalar field as time by means of a conditional probability, from which an effective time-dependent wave function follows. The evolution the scale factor is obtained by its mean value, and the quantum fluctuations are consistent with the Heisenberg relations and a classical universe today. Keywords: quantum cosmology; modified gravity; time problem 1. Introduction Since its formulation, general relativity has been a successful theory, verified in many ways and at any scale.