The Concept of Time - time-entropy/what-is-time GitHub Wiki

The Concept of Time: A Discrete Symphony of Transformation

Time is not a river, —it is the universe’s way of counting its own transformations. Imagine spacetime as a vast, elastic network of microscopic units, each conduction with energy. Every shift in their states, every exchange of energy, marks a tick of the cosmic clock. This rhythm is not smooth but granular, built from discrete steps where entropy acts as the conductor, ensuring each transformation moves the whole system toward greater disorder.

Space as a Dynamic Hologram: A Quantum Pixel Dance of Time

Imagine space as a vast, three-dimensional hologram—not a smooth continuum, but a shimmering projection built from discrete quantum pixels (SEQ). Each pixel isn't static; it pulses with energy, its state constantly updating like a frame in a cosmic film. What we perceive as motion—a planet orbiting, light traveling—isn't movement through space, but a cascade of pixel-state transformations across the hologram's surface.

Entropy’s Unseen Hand

What gives time its direction? Entropy—the silent architect of irreversibility. Each transformation in the network leaves a mark, a slight increase in disorder that cannot be undone. This isn’t just statistical; it’s woven into the universe’s logic. Even if the cosmos contracted, entropy would still rise, preserving time’s arrow. The past is a record of states left behind; the future, a landscape of possible transformations yet to unfold.

Time Without Illusion

Forget the idea of a universal "now." Time we perceive is deeply local. A clock near a black hole measures a different rhythm than one in empty space, not because of perception but because their underlying networks vibrate at distinct frequencies. What we call "proper time" is simply the count of local transformations. Global time corresponds to the whole universe transformation.