Absolute Time

[Bill]

In 2018, the Planck Collaboration updated its estimate for the age of the
universe to 13.787±0.020 billion years. Does this really mean anything? We
measure time based on what we experience on Earth but can those measurements
apply to the universe itself? Some think so and calculate time on units that
we can determine through observation. But what is being observed?

We could, for convenience, establish a unit of time based on the age of the
universe where 13.787±0.020 billion years mentioned above becomes our unit
of measure; it becomes 1.

We know that this unit is not constant, it varies because the medium whereon
it exists, changes. At the very beginning time exits in nanoseconds, a few
milliseconds later the medium expands several thousands of times, a few
milliseconds after that it has expanded still more. There is no point of
stability giving so no point reference and no unit of time applies.

So, what does 13.787±0.020 billion years really mean? Are we talking about
actual Earth years? since the universe, and time, are stretched out by the
expansion of the medium of space, do any of our measurements mean anything,
is it even possible to measure time? Beats me ...

Bill

[Bob Casanova]

On Tue, 28 Jun 2022 14:36:22 -0500, the following appeared
in talk.origins, posted by Bill <fre...@gmail.com>:

>In 2018, the Planck Collaboration updated its estimate for the age of the

>universe to 13.787ą0.020 billion years. Does this really mean anything? We

>measure time based on what we experience on Earth but can those measurements
>apply to the universe itself? Some think so and calculate time on units that
>we can determine through observation. But what is being observed?
>
>We could, for convenience, establish a unit of time based on the age of the

>universe where 13.787ą0.020 billion years mentioned above becomes our unit

>of measure; it becomes 1.
>
>We know that this unit is not constant, it varies because the medium whereon
>it exists, changes. At the very beginning time exits in nanoseconds, a few
>milliseconds later the medium expands several thousands of times, a few
>milliseconds after that it has expanded still more. There is no point of
>stability giving so no point reference and no unit of time applies.
>

>So, what does 13.787ą0.020 billion years really mean? Are we talking about

>actual Earth years? since the universe, and time, are stretched out by the
>expansion of the medium of space, do any of our measurements mean anything,
>is it even possible to measure time?
>

Sure. Look at Mickey's hands; they tell you quite precisely.
>
>Beats me ...
>
Seems almost everything does...
>
--

Bob C.

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

- Isaac Asimov

[J. J. Lodder]

You should calculated the age of the Universe from BP of course,
just like for radiocarbon dating,

Jan
(I'll get my coat)

[Abner]

J. J. Lodder wrote:
> You should calculated the age of the Universe from BP of course,
> just like for radiocarbon dating,

You could also calculate the age of the universe in how many verses of Enya's "Only Time" would have been sung since then.

[J. J. Lodder]

It should have been possible to recite the nine billion names of god,

Jan

[Abner]

J. J. Lodder wrote:
> It should have been possible to recite the nine billion names of god,

But can you chant them to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song?

[J. J. Lodder]

You couldn't know it if I had,

Jan

[DB Cates]

Brings to mind the memory of a late night campfire sing along when the
well lubricated musician was asked to play some Lightfoot. He started in
on 'The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' but somehow the lyrics seemed
wrong, they were from Gilligan's Island. It somehow sort of worked?

--
--
Don Cates ("he's a cunning rascal" PN)

[Abner]

J. J. Lodder wrote:
> You couldn't know it if I had,

Not over the internet ... unless you made a youtube video or the like! :)

[Bob Casanova]

On Wed, 29 Jun 2022 01:50:16 -0700 (PDT), the following
appeared in talk.origins, posted by Abner
<abneri...@gmail.com>:

Or you could start off with "10^15 Bottles of Beer on the
Wall"...

[Bob Casanova]

On Wed, 29 Jun 2022 10:32:59 -0500, the following appeared
in talk.origins, posted by DB Cates
<cate...@hotmail.com.invalid>:

"The Wreck of the S.S. Minnow"?