21 May 2008 @ 07:38, by Shreepal Singh
The universe is really vast. It is not vast only in the way that there are countless number of galaxies comprising solar formations with their planetary systems. It is vast in another manner also. The secret of this vastness lies in dimensions. In fact we in our science are only dealing mostly with space dimension. Though there are three sub-dimensions of the space, really it is only one dimension. The second dimension - time - is still little understood. What we have learned here is really very little.
How much do we know about time's dimension? And, how much do we know about space's dimension? We know that things exist in space and when they are placed in space they have the properties of length, width and height. These properties enable things to acquire (sine qua non) essentials of matter in the form of mass and the shape of (our well known) elements, their combination into molecules and then countless other formations of varied things, including life's building blocks DNAs etc.
What about the time's dimension? We know that things exist in time and that when they are so placed in this dimension they exhibit the property of floating in a flowing current that has a direction - from past to future; things flow because they exist in past, present and future (which constantly turns into present). It is not the time that flows but the things that flow; because the things constantly change in time we have an illusion of time's flow. You are seated in a running train and have an illusion of seeing things outside the train running backward. In fact, there is no illusion here because the phenomenon is governed by relativity; we can very well say that from the relative point of train the things outside train are running backward and conversely, from the point of things outside train the train is running forward.
Likewise, from the point of the time things are flowing in a direction from future to past and conversely, from the point of the things the time is running in a direction from past to future. In space it is possible for us to sit in a running train and watch things outside train (to get verification of our statement) and also to sit alongside the outside (stationary!) things and watch the running train on the track. While it is so possible for us in space, can we carry out this experiment in the time's dimension? We are associated with the things (placed in time) and get the illusion (!) that the time is running backward; can we change our relative station to observe the relativistically contrary fact of the things running in a direction from future to past? No. But, then, there must be such a station; it cannot be otherwise. It is our limitation. This is one limitation. There are other limitations also.
(... article to continue...)
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