“Is time simply a way of accounting for change (physical motion)?” Almost.
Motion is only one type of change, that is change of (relative) spatial position. There is other types of change..change of colour, of weight, of mass, of density, tone, radioactivity etc etc.
Time calibrates all change…in standard units of, say, years, days, seconds etc. (I.e.miles PER HOUR…change rate is measured in time units).
And the word time actually has two core meanings, both referencing change.
To expand:-
As you touch on, The ONLY empirical evidence of Time is change / change events (look around you – earth spinning, you breathing, quarks decaying – all change event series). Change can be quantum or compound, depending on your reference-frame.
Time represents TWO distinct contexts of change:
1.The calibration of change (i.e. the dimension of change – hence ‘rate’ e.g. miles PER HOUR – the calibration of change of position aka motion) i.e. Time is to change what temperature is to heat, a dimension/calibration set. Temperature is abstract, heat is real, Time is abstract, change is real. (This is more or less what you say); and
- Time is the collective ‘flow’ of change. Time is to change-events what ‘River’ is to water molecules – a collective term. But, fundamentally the word River is an abstract collective, water molecules are real. Time is a collective abstract, change-events are real. Time, the ‘flow’ of change.
Time, one word, two distinct meanings, both reference change.
And so, Space is the dimension of (relative) position (hence xyz axis). And Time is the dimension of change.
So merge Space the dimension of position, with Time the dimension of change and you get spacetime the dimension of changing position aka motion.
Is time simply a way of accounting for change (physical motion)?” Almost.
Motion is only one type of change, that is change of (relative) spatial position. There is other types of change..change of colour, of weight, of mass, of density, tone, radioactivity etc etc.
Time calibrates all change…in standard units of, say, years, days, seconds etc. (I.e.miles PER HOUR…change rate is measured in time units).
And the word time actually has two core meanings, both referencing change.
To expand:-
As you touch on, The ONLY empirical evidence of Time is change / change events (look around you – earth spinning, you breathing, quarks decaying – all change event series). Change can be quantum or compound, depending on your reference-frame.
Time represents TWO distinct contexts of change:
1.The calibration of change (i.e. the dimension of change – hence ‘rate’ e.g. miles PER HOUR – the calibration of change of position aka motion) i.e. Time is to change what temperature is to heat, a dimension/calibration set. Temperature is abstract, heat is real, Time is abstract, change is real. (This is more or less what you say); and
2. Time is the collective ‘flow’ of change. Time is to change-events what ‘River’ is to water molecules – a collective term. But, fundamentally the word River is an abstract collective, water molecules are real. Time is a collective abstract, change-events are real. Time, the ‘flow’ of change.
Time, one word, two distinct meanings, both reference change.
And so, Space is the dimension of (relative) position (hence xyz axis). And Time is the dimension of change.
So merge Space the dimension of position, with Time the dimension of change and you get spacetime the dimension of changing position aka motion.
What is Time? 