Could time be measured metrically
Discussion
Theoretically, could time as we perceive it be measured metrically as opposed to the arbitrary methods currently assigned?
Whilst understanding that the earth spins on it's axis every 24 hours and that it takes the earth 365.25 days to orbit the sun, could this be incorporated into a metric measure?
It would of course be incredibly difficult to not think in the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years we are accustomed to, but is it technically possible?
Whilst understanding that the earth spins on it's axis every 24 hours and that it takes the earth 365.25 days to orbit the sun, could this be incorporated into a metric measure?
It would of course be incredibly difficult to not think in the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years we are accustomed to, but is it technically possible?
Max_Torque said:
Time is already measured metrically.
SI Second (atomic second) - The interval of time taken to complete 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the cesium 133 atom exposed to a suitable excitation
True.SI Second (atomic second) - The interval of time taken to complete 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the cesium 133 atom exposed to a suitable excitation
But the next level up after seconds is minutes and there are 60 seconds to a minute, which is not metric.
Next level up after minutes is hours and there are 60 minutes to an hour, which is not metric.
Erudite geezer said:
True.
But the next level up after seconds is minutes and there are 60 seconds to a minute, which is not metric.
Next level up after minutes is hours and there are 60 minutes to an hour, which is not metric.
Well, if you have milliseconds and microseconds, why not measure your spare time in kiloseconds. That "just ten minutes" becomes 0.6ks and the 24h news cycle is now 86.4ksBut the next level up after seconds is minutes and there are 60 seconds to a minute, which is not metric.
Next level up after minutes is hours and there are 60 minutes to an hour, which is not metric.
Your girlfriend gets grumpy every 2.4Ms and it's about 31.5Ms between birthdays.
Three-score-years-and-ten becomes 2.2Gs
Poetic it is not!
Edited by AER on Saturday 6th September 13:27
grumbledoak said:
The Ancient Babylonians were cleverer than the French. It would be better to switch everything else to twelves and sixties. Except years, which are pretty clearly thirteen months of four weeks of seven days plus a couple of days drunk 'carnival'.
It would be it we started to count in duodecimal, base12.Then we would go 1,2,3,.....9,A,B,10 Use any symbol you like for A and B, as long as everyone else does.
And the decimal number 60 would be 50 in base12.
Then it would be as simple to divide by 10 in decimal, as to divide by 10 in duodecimal.
OR, use sexagesimal, when 10 = 60 to base10, and you need another fifty new symbols for the numbers between 9 and 10. Do you think it's as simple, or 'better' now, grumbledoak?
JOhn
In the early 2000s Swatch tried 'internet time'. They day was divided into 1000 'beats', the idea being that having to work out all the timezone nonsense to meet online, or for an event or announcement, was an enormous faff and it could just happen at, for example, 749. Not only were they dividing the 24 hour day into 1000 arbitrary units, they were getting rid of the whole concept of timezones and 12 being lunch, 6 being dinner, cos it would depend where you lived.
Unsurprisingly there was a physical watch available to go with your little html gadget, the Swatch Webmaster.
I bought one. It didn't catch on.
Unsurprisingly there was a physical watch available to go with your little html gadget, the Swatch Webmaster.
I bought one. It didn't catch on.
MartG said:
It would be very difficult indeed to move to a 'decimal' time system which split the day up by dividing by 10 - imagine having to redefine every scientific constant, then rewrite every textbook, rewrite every computer programme, etc. !
I don't know, many businesses employing hourly paid staff would probably love it.tapkaJohnD said:
grumbledoak said:
The Ancient Babylonians were cleverer than the French. It would be better to switch everything else to twelves and sixties. Except years, which are pretty clearly thirteen months of four weeks of seven days plus a couple of days drunk 'carnival'.
It would be it we started to count in duodecimal, base12.Then we would go 1,2,3,.....9,A,B,10 Use any symbol you like for A and B, as long as everyone else does.
And the decimal number 60 would be 50 in base12.
Then it would be as simple to divide by 10 in decimal, as to divide by 10 in duodecimal.
OR, use sexagesimal, when 10 = 60 to base10, and you need another fifty new symbols for the numbers between 9 and 10. Do you think it's as simple, or 'better' now, grumbledoak?
JOhn
12 can be divided into 2, 3, 4, or 6 whole-number parts.
60 can be divided into 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20 or 30 whole-number parts.
For making calculations without electronic calculators this has some big advantages over the decimal system. If humans had six fingers on each hand then we'd almost certainly be using the duodecimal system for everything.
thegreenhell said:
If humans had six fingers on each hand then we'd almost certainly be using the duodecimal system for everything.
You're quite right.But we don't, so why not use what comes naturally?
And anyway, "60 can be divided into 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20 or 30 whole-number parts"
But 3/60th is 1/20th, half a tenth, 6/60ths is a tenth, 12/60ths is a fifth, 15/60th is a quarter, 20/60th a third and 30/60ths a half. What's so clever about that?
JOhn
It's always going to be a bit messy if we base time on the earth's rotation (it's getting slower so days are getting longer hence the leap second) and the year is not an exact multiple of a day (hence the leap year).
After than we can use any units we like. I think the 24/60/60 hh/mm/ss and 7 day week is too entrenched to change. Ditto for months and years/leap years.
After than we can use any units we like. I think the 24/60/60 hh/mm/ss and 7 day week is too entrenched to change. Ditto for months and years/leap years.
Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff