Imaginary time
Imaginary time
I'm currently reading the illustrated theory of everything by Stephen Hawkin and can't get my head round the concept of imaginary time. In the text he just skims past it with no real explanation as to what it is. I understand that this is probably because he is avoiding putting maths into the text but would appreciate it if someone could help me out as to how it works.
Outside the ordered universe is that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
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AshtonBlack
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Re: Imaginary time
The wiki of it is pretty good.
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Re: Imaginary time
I should have looked there first. OK so what I get from that without trying to get my head round the maths is that imaginary time adds an extra dimension to time in addition to the standard past-future linearity. Am I on the right lines here?
Outside the ordered universe is that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
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// Replaces with spaces the braces in cases where braces in places cause stasis
$str = str_replace(array("\{","\}")," ",$str);
Re: Imaginary time
As I understand it (and I'm no expert), in the simplest case imaginary time just means that when working out the "distance" between two events in space-time using an extended version of Pythagoras' theorem, the time dimension actually contributes a negative amount to the distance ...
d2 = x2 + y2 + z2 - t2
In order for the square of time to be negative, time must be an imaginary quantity, so to make t a real number like the other dimensions you end up with ...
d2 = x2 + y2 + z2 + (it)2
Unlike the usual Pythagoras formula, it's possible for d2 to come out negative, i.e. the distance is an imaginary number and the interval between the events is said to be "time-like" (imaginary, like the time dimension). If d2 is positive the interval is "space-like" (real, like a space dimension). It the interval between events is time-like then it is possible for light to travel between them, so it is possible for one to cause the other. If it space-like then the events can not be causally connected.
By the way, why do so many people get Stephen Hawking's name wrong? My real name is also only 7 letters long and people usually spell that wrong as well, but at least I have the excuse that mine is an Anglicised German name.
d2 = x2 + y2 + z2 - t2
In order for the square of time to be negative, time must be an imaginary quantity, so to make t a real number like the other dimensions you end up with ...
d2 = x2 + y2 + z2 + (it)2
Unlike the usual Pythagoras formula, it's possible for d2 to come out negative, i.e. the distance is an imaginary number and the interval between the events is said to be "time-like" (imaginary, like the time dimension). If d2 is positive the interval is "space-like" (real, like a space dimension). It the interval between events is time-like then it is possible for light to travel between them, so it is possible for one to cause the other. If it space-like then the events can not be causally connected.
By the way, why do so many people get Stephen Hawking's name wrong? My real name is also only 7 letters long and people usually spell that wrong as well, but at least I have the excuse that mine is an Anglicised German name.
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Re: Imaginary time
Thanks Tri, that makes more sense now. My excuse for getting his name wrong is my crappy laptop keyboard that registers one in 10 key depressions. I blame Darwin.
Outside the ordered universe is that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
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Re: Imaginary time
In my imaginary time, i play with my imaginary friends.
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Re: Imaginary time
Ghatanothoa wrote:I'm currently reading the illustrated theory of everything by Stephen Hawkin and can't get my head round the concept of imaginary time. In the text he just skims past it with no real explanation as to what it is. I understand that this is probably because he is avoiding putting maths into the text but would appreciate it if someone could help me out as to how it works.
Imaginary and real numbers are numbers which follow different rules.
The choice of name 'real' and 'imaginary' are an unfortunate historical 'accident' both types of number are equally valid, they just work differently and can interchange.und it I always called real number 'a' numbers and imaginary numbers 'b' numbers.
To get my head ro
multiply a negative real number by another negative real number and it becomes a positive real number.
multiply a negative imaginary number by another negative imaginary number and it becomes a negative real number.
No-one knows why these two rule sets (or one overlapping 'complex' set, if you like) are required to mathecatically model some of the cosmos. But they seem to.
Hope that helps
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Re: Imaginary time
Does physics remind anybody else of gobbling mushrooms?
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Re: Imaginary time
It's way weirder.Reverend Blair wrote:Does physics remind anybody else of gobbling mushrooms?
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Salman Rushdie
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic.
House MD
Who needs a meaning anyway, I'd settle anyday for a very fine view.
Sandy Denny
This is the wrong forum for bluffing
Paco
Yes, yes. But first I need to show you this venomous fish!
Calilasseia
I think we should do whatever Pawiz wants.
Twoflower
Bella squats momentarily then waddles on still peeing, like a horse
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