Time Is Stranger Than We Thought
Time flies when you’re having fun! Or so it seems. Or does it? What is time? In the Western world, we think of time as a linear construct that moves left to right. Think of a timeline, and that’s generally what we perceive. But time is seen as vertical or even three-dimensional in other parts of the world.
Time is a concept that can shift based on our perspectives and experiences. Time is stranger than we think, and as you’ll discover, it’s significantly impacted by our circumstances.
There’s No Clock That Is 100% Accurate
You might think that we’ve got this down pat by now. But we don’t. We have atomic clocks that are incredibly accurate, but they aren’t perfect. The process of defining time occurs around the globe on a constant basis, with data submitted to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris for ongoing review and evaluation.
Time Is Experienced by Our Minds
Our perception roots us in time, with a variety of daily factors and interactions shaping our perception. From memory to emotion, we sense time in our minds. Consider this, according to research, repetition and routine, in hindsight, create a sense that time has moved faster than those who seek novel and unique experiences.
“Let’s Do the Time Warp Again”
You’re singing it right now, aren’t you? We can all experience a time warp. Like in the movies, when a crash scene plays out in slow motion or when your life “flashes before your eyes,” our experience of time can vary based on our highly stressful encounters.
Health Challenges Impact Time
Some brain disorders, such as epilepsy, can temporarily speed up or stop time. While those around the person experiencing the issue remain static in their own time frame, the patient can experience time quite differently.
Athletes Can Experience Time Differently
Athletes can train their brains to view timing differently, with greater specificity, than the average population. A hockey player can envision the puck’s trajectory and timing to get to the destination at the right time, and surfers can time the perfect wave.
You Live In the Recent Past
It’s tiny, even minuscule, but by the time the voice of the person speaking to you reaches your ears and your brain, time has passed since they spoke. Fortunately, we all experience this, and our brains sync light and sound together, so we consider it to be the present.
Life Outside Conventional Time
In Nepal, it’s 2024 and 2081. Nepal uses the Sambat calendar, which uses a different timeline than our traditional Western calendars. Nepal is outside of standard time zones by 15 minutes. Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada are 30 minutes outside the standard time.
By the way, in Thailand, it’s 2565, and according to the Islamic calendar, it’s 1445.
A Second Is How Long?
A second is 1/60th of a minute, right?
Not exactly. In 1967, the Thirteenth General Conference of the International Committee for Weights and Measures officially defined the second as “the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom.” Glad we could clarify that.
It’s All in the Past
Light takes time to travel. By the time the sunlight reaches us, it’s 8 minutes and 20 seconds old, while the light from our nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is 4 years old when we see it in the night sky.
Racing Against a Deadline
The clock ticks faster and faster. You need to get that report completed before vacation. When you’re focused on a big project, your brain pays less attention to time, creating a sense that time is passing quickly. But when you’re bored or less active, your brain focuses more on time. Look around at people checking the clock during a meeting versus a concert. You’ll see.
They Said We’d Never Fly
In 1903 the New York Times declared that it would take 1-10 million years before we could take to the skies. It turns out their timing was quite wrong. That same year the Wright Brothers launched their first successful flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Smallest Measurement of Time
Planck time is the smallest measurement of time, but it’s not one we use for any daily purposes. It takes five hundred and fifty thousand trillion trillion trillion Planck times to blink a single time.
The Fourth Dimension
Time moves forward. Never back. It can’t be touched, smelled, or tasted. But it can be measured, making some consider it the fourth dimension of reality.
The Sunset Hour
The sun sets in Paris both earlier and later than London. The Parisian time zone is one hour ahead of London, but being slightly east, Paris sees the sun set just before London sees it set.
People of the Future Are Already Here
The 22nd century is several decades away, but there it people living today who will see that century ushered in. When the fireworks launch on New Year’s Eve 2099, millions of people from today will be witness to the new century.
More Interesting Perceptions
Time isn't the only thing with varied perceptions. What we perceive as risky can also vary quite a lot.