My OperaMindmelter IV
Monday, September 9, 2013 8:41:08 PM
by H. Magane
Imagine you were asked to answer a question of "what is a day?"
At first the question is very simple but as you begin to think about it, you realize that a day is simply a unit of time that equals 24 hours. Unintentionally, the question may shift to: define a unit of time referred to as a day? Defining units can be a daunting task as it often requires a consensus. Now you begin to appreciate the complexity of the question. Nonetheless, you proceed by saying a day is indeed a time period of 24 hours consistent of a day and night which are merely indicative of the amount of light present during this 24 hours time measurement.
As it turns out you are correct, but not completely. Because we agreed earlier that a day is a unit of time measurement, a unit in itself can be either scalar or vector; tools of measurement in physics.
Time is often referred to as scalar as it has magnitude but no direction. However, in real life we never really say that time is moving backwards or do we? Backwards being the designation of direction, we all assume then that time is always moving forwards (an indication of direction). We are equiping an aspect of time a sense of direction without being aware of it. With this argument, time then becomes somewhat a vector.
If allowed to be so, then the unit of time which is day must become a vector quantity. With day now being recognized as a vector, it must include direction in addition to magnitude. This reasoning drives us back to the question of a definition of a day.
Are you then going to redefine a day to include direction and if so how?
Imagine you were asked to answer a question of "what is a day?"
At first the question is very simple but as you begin to think about it, you realize that a day is simply a unit of time that equals 24 hours. Unintentionally, the question may shift to: define a unit of time referred to as a day? Defining units can be a daunting task as it often requires a consensus. Now you begin to appreciate the complexity of the question. Nonetheless, you proceed by saying a day is indeed a time period of 24 hours consistent of a day and night which are merely indicative of the amount of light present during this 24 hours time measurement.
As it turns out you are correct, but not completely. Because we agreed earlier that a day is a unit of time measurement, a unit in itself can be either scalar or vector; tools of measurement in physics.
Time is often referred to as scalar as it has magnitude but no direction. However, in real life we never really say that time is moving backwards or do we? Backwards being the designation of direction, we all assume then that time is always moving forwards (an indication of direction). We are equiping an aspect of time a sense of direction without being aware of it. With this argument, time then becomes somewhat a vector.
If allowed to be so, then the unit of time which is day must become a vector quantity. With day now being recognized as a vector, it must include direction in addition to magnitude. This reasoning drives us back to the question of a definition of a day.
Are you then going to redefine a day to include direction and if so how?
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