Open AccessIn search of a physical theory of time.
Author(s) -
Kenneth J. Hsü
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.89.21.10222
Subject(s) - variable (mathematics) , relation (database) , physical science , term (time) , atom (system on chip) , space (punctuation) , spacetime , theoretical physics , statistical physics , physics , mathematics , computer science , quantum mechanics , mathematical analysis , data mining , embedded system , operating system
The variable time considered in science is a measurement. The relation of time to other variables is expressed in rates, and the variable time is seldom explicitly included in equations describing chemical reactions or radioactive decays. Recalling that the Greek word atom is applicable to indivisible particles in both spatial and temporal worlds, the term chronon is proposed to designate elementary particles of time in parallel to the atom in space. Considerations of interactions of chronons with material and nonmaterial objects could promote understanding of several paradoxes in physical and biological sciences.