Scientists at the Don State Technical University (DSTU) in Russia, along with international research groups, have developed the concept of “local time” to describe the flow of time in different physical systems.
The research findings were published in the journal Foundations.
Ms. Nadezhda Krasiy, Associate Professor at the Department of Advanced Mathematics at DSTU, stated that time itself cannot be defined. Humans can only perceive and measure the flow of time.
Humans can only perceive and measure the flow of time. (Illustrative image).
The authors of the study believe that the initial idea of time originated in human ancestors around three million years ago during their observations of the regular changes between daylight and darkness (day and night). Subsequently, ancient hominids noticed the phases of the Moon and the changes in natural phenomena associated with those phases. The first to calculate the number of days between two full moons created the first measure of time.
According to the theories presented by the researchers, time is a type of independent flow that changes according to its own laws and moves along an orbit dependent on those laws. This implies that the flow of time can accelerate, slow down, and even change depending on various conditions.
“In reality, any process studied within a certain timeframe is a combination of the process being directly observed and the accompanying timeline. Furthermore, the concept of time in this process does not coincide with astronomical time and depends solely on the progress and changes occurring within this process,” researcher Nadezhda Krasiy explained.
In this project, experts set themselves the task of connecting the abstract concept of time with specific physical processes. To achieve this, they employed mathematical tools to define “local time” using simple geometric objects. This allowed them to compare mathematical models with human experiences of daily time measurement.
Throughout the study, scientists utilized methods from various fields of mathematics: curved geometry, Riemannian geometry, differential equation theory, probability theory, and random variables.
Experiments have shown that in certain mathematical models, a quantitative concept of “local time” can be established that reflects the order of events. This time is defined based on a set of ordered measurements with different quantities taken at the same moment.
As a result, the mathematical definition of “local time” proposed by the scientists not only allows for the description of the characteristics of observable phenomena but also aids in predicting their development.
The research was conducted by scientists from the Don State Technical University (DSTU) and Nova University of Lisbon (Portugal).
