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Philosophy

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  • Quasi-static meaning? (Google AI Overview): In physics and thermodynamics, quasi-static describes a process that occurs infinitely slowly, or in a series of infinitesimally small steps, so that the system undergoing the change remains in thermodynamic equilibrium at every instant. This means the system is always close to a state of equilibrium, allowing for the application of equilibrium equations and making the process ideal for analysis, even though true equilibrium is a state, not a process. If we assume state change of a clock is a quasi-static process then time is a continuous variable. Commented yesterday
  • @SystemTheory: I'm not sure mine was the answer you intended to comment on, but no disagreement. Commented yesterday
  • Item 2 says elapsed time must change smoothly during smooth motion. My comment is in reply to that concept wherein we make working assumptions to create models of continuous variables. In practice we can imagine a process that is not quasi-static and then the math becomes discrete variables (DV) rather than continuous variables (CV). In the past scientists like Galileo, Kepler, and others probably wanted CV models for smooth motion but were stuck with DV models. Calculus solved that problem by making some key philosophical assumptions. In my view clocks are also in the flow of DV or CV events. Commented yesterday
  • If time was discontinuous, then I grant that all attempts would likewise be discontinuous and it might appear smooth. Feel free to run with it and try to find some testable implications. I have no clue how that might be fine, but AFAICT no such research program has yet been proposed. Science wants to be shown that a new model actually explains something the old model can't. Philosophy, admittedly, doesn't have to limit itself to reality. Commented yesterday
  • Electrical engineers treat continuous time as inverse of frequency, which is defined in physics, and wherein uniform circular motion relates to simple harmonic motion as shown in this online article: pressbooks.bccampus.ca/douglasphys1107/chapter/…. The sine wave is a plot of position versus time but at each instant of time there is only a position defined by polar angle and/or x-y coordinates. When we use simple harmonic oscillators to measure discrete time intervals we sample the flow of events in the clock not the flow of time. Commented 23 hours ago