Does the speed of time change?

[Torey]

This is something I'd never thought could happen when I was younger. Time goes at the same rate. It just seemed logical because there's 60 seconds in a minute, 60 seconds in an hour, et, etc. But I conducted an experiment when I was at school, and I've continued to do this ever since I had the theory that the speed of time did change. In my tutor group, I told the class that the school week had gone very slow. Everyone agreed. They all thought it went slow too. Another time, the week went fast. Every single person thought the same. When I was at home one time I looked at the clock and realised it was later than I thought it was. My mom and brother thought that too. Every single one of us thought that the time had gone incredibly fast and we were all doing different things. My mom was doing house work, I was playing on a computer game, and my brother was doing something else. Now that, to me, is just really peculiar. How can we all think that the time goes too fast or too slow? What do you think about this? Do you agree with me that sometimes, time can go faster or slower? Just thought that this would make for a pretty interesting, and unusual discussion to say the least.

[TheEaterofWorlds]

I think that it seems very likely. However, there's no real way to measure it and find out. I'm afraid all we can do right now is speculate. Still, this conclusion feels right.

[Torey]

TheEaterofWorlds said:

I think that it seems very likely. However, there's no real way to measure it and find out. I'm afraid all we can do right now is speculate. Still, this conclusion feels right.

Heh, I'm glad someone else thinks the same way I do. It just seems...obvious because of the fact that when I think a day's gone slow, everyone else seems to think so too.

[Deleted]

When you're doing anything fun, or anything where you don't have much time to think, time will seem to go fast, because you're not paying attention to it. You don't care, so you don't notice.

When you're bored, time goes slow, because you're always paying attention to it. You can't wait for it to change, so it will seem like it doesn't.

This has been proven.

However, I don't think it necessarily applies if everyone feels the time was fast/slow, and some were bored and some were having fun.

[Deleted]

I think time... it is just like the ocean. Sometimes it goes fast, sometimes it's slow. You never know. It is there and yet it isn't. The teeth of time will tear on the world, but time itself - a riddle that remains to be solved.


That's my say, unless you'd like a poem about it? ^^

[Torey]

TheComedian said:

When you're doing anything fun, or anything where you don't have much time to think, time will seem to go fast, because you're not paying attention to it. You don't care, so you don't notice.

When you're bored, time goes slow, because you're always paying attention to it. You can't wait for it to change, so it will seem like it doesn't.

This has been proven.

However, I don't think it necessarily applies if everyone feels the time was fast/slow, and some were bored and some were having fun.

I already know about that. The thing is though, when I was awaiting my work placement, the week before went fast because I didn't want to go. However, the week apparantly went just as fast for my brother who was sat at home, doing nothing, not looking forward, nor dreading anything. The same applied to my mom. So what you've just said really doesn't apply.

[Cow-winkle]

First of all, I don't believe time exists (Or at least it didn't until some genuis had the idea of measuring it).

Comedian is probably right; if you're paying attention to something, it will seem to go slower (As the old saying goes, a watched pot never boils), and if you aren't, it'll seem to go faster.

My basic theory is, if you're moving quickly, everything else will seem slow, and if you're moving slowly, everything else will seem quick. Of course, this has nothing to do with Comedian's theory, but it does add the scientific touch (That's the real Mr Cow for ya'.)

[ncwidt5895]

I think that time does go slower or faster, and it doesn't matter on what you're doing. Sure, when you're watching the clock tick by, it WILL seem slow, but sometimes, minutes just seem to fly by.

Take the other day for example. I was waiting for 8pm, to watch something on TV. I kept glancing at the clock, and sometimes it'd be the same as last time. I was sure I was checking it every minute or so. The time seemed the same. But yet, sometiems 5 whole mintues had passed, and I wouldn't know the difference between that and 30 seconds.

[Cow-winkle]

Carrie said:

I think that time does go slower or faster, and it doesn't matter on what you're doing. Sure, when you're watching the clock tick by, it WILL seem slow, but sometimes, minutes just seem to fly by.

Take the other day for example. I was waiting for 8pm, to watch something on TV. I kept glancing at the clock, and sometimes it'd be the same as last time. I was sure I was checking it every minute or so. The time seemed the same. But yet, sometiems 5 whole mintues had passed, and I wouldn't know the difference between that and 30 seconds.

Who here, in school, is a clock-watcher? *Raises hand* Actually, my piano teacher took the clock out of her room for exactly that reason.

Once again, we can all learn from (or laugh at) the wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes comics (Once again, it isn't exactly correct):

Calvin (In class): Hmm, an hour must've passed by now. Well, maybe not that much. Half an hour, maybe 20 minutes. I'll say 10 minutes to be safe *looks at clock* 20 seconds?!?

Another comic:

Calvin: Hey, look at the clock! The last 2 hours just flew by... I hope the teacher didn't say anything important.

[Princess Ember Mononoke]

This is an intersting theory. But here's something to think about.

The scientific definition of "speed" is distance/time. Or something else over time, depending on the what it is that you're measuring. For instnace, typing speed is number of words/time. But given that time is an integral part of speed - indeed, speed is defined by time - how could time even have a speed of its own, let alone a variable one?

[Torey]

Princess said:

This is an intersting theory. But here's something to think about.

The scientific definition of "speed" is distance/time. Or something else over time, depending on the what it is that you're measuring. For instnace, typing speed is number of words/time. But given that time is an integral part of speed - indeed, speed is defined by time - how could time even have a speed of its own, let alone a variable one?

Well done, Ember, for confusing me

[Stal]

Simple, Ember. Time is only defined by that particular equation of speed by the time taken to get there.

We could use our knowledge of algebra to change this equation

s = d/t -> multiply both sides by t
st = d (or speed multiplied by time equals distance) -> divide both sides by s
t = d/s (or time equals distance divided by speed)

And as you can tell that isn't discussing time itself, but rather the time involved in a certain amount of distance and speed or a certain type of time.

Also, now that we know a definition of time, we can plug that in instead of t in the first equation...

s = d/(d/s)

Time has a speed of itself! ^___^

If any of that made sense...

[Princess Ember Mononoke]

Cloud said:

Simple, Ember. Time is only defined by that particular equation of speed by the time taken to get there.

We could use our knowledge of algebra to change this equation

s = d/t -> multiply both sides by t
st = d (or speed multiplied by time equals distance) -> divide both sides by s
t = d/s (or time equals distance divided by speed)

And as you can tell that isn't discussing time itself, but rather the time involved in a certain amount of distance and speed or a certain type of time.

Also, now that we know a definition of time, we can plug that in instead of t in the first equation...

s = d/(d/s)

Time has a speed of itself! ^___^

If any of that made sense...

... Congratulations. You have won the "Ember Had to Read That Ten Times to Get It Award." That's an interesting point, and you actually managed to out-confuse me in the process.

[Crystal]

Princess said:

... Congratulations. You have won the "Ember Had to Read That Ten Times to Get It Award." That's an interesting point, and you actually managed to out-confuse me in the process.

LOL. I read it once and got utterly confused, then went back and read it out loud, translating the terms to Malay along the way. Then I got it. XP

[huggsy]

Enter the Science boi!

Allow me to be a brainbox:

The time in a day is 24 hours right? This is beacuse it takes the sun 24 to rotate fully around the earth. The sun increases speed towards winter and distance from the planted thus it gets colder, and darker for longer. So if you're talking about that kind of time, then no, it doesn't go faster or slower.

But as Comedian said when you're brain is occupied (I.E writing or listening to Music) Time appears to go faster beacuse of the rate of the eletronic pulses passing through the brain per second. The coinsedednce and theroem is proven from you playing on the computer and your mother vaccuming etc.

If you want to try and confirm this take this example, watch a film you really enjoy and then watch a film you hate, which lasts longer?