The Speed Of Time - Does That Phrase Make Sense [closed]

Solution 1:

Isn't our definition of speed "how far some distance passes in a certain amount of time"? Doesn't that make it incorrect to say "the speed of time", because time does not travel any distance?

No.

For example, time is often defined operationally in high precision clocks with reference to the rate at which radioactive elements decay or change electromagnetic states without moving any measurable distance.

Distance per time is the definition of speed which is related to time (velocity is speed associated with a particular direction of travel), but is not by any means the only way or most fundamental way to define time.

In general relativity, time is a dimension similar in many respects to length. It is a form of distance rather than something defined by distance.

When you think about it, do these phrases make any sense? Or does it?

The phrase refers to the psychological perception of time, rather than to the physical reality. Sometimes time perceptually seems to go faster or slower in particular circumstances, even when the rate at which it passes doesn't actually change.

There are circumstances when time for one observer can slow down as a physical matter relative to the way that it is experienced by other observers as a result of special relativity. Thus, an observer who spends a long time on a round trip at close to the speed of light will have experienced less physical time elapse than one who stayed at the point of origin/destination the whole time. So, the concept of time flowing at different rates for different people is not a nonsensical one. But, that is not what the expressions you reference are referring to (at least historically).

Solution 2:

Velocity (speed) is distance travelled divided by the duration of time spent travelling. V = d/t

What distance does time traverse that can be measured in other terms than duration itself?
If you use t for d, you get V = t/t.
This means that the speed of time is 1 second per second.

Is this a helpful value?

Or are you talking about perceived duration versus measured duration?

If, on the other hand, you're using time metaphorically, then there are other possibilities,
like the Time Is Money metaphor theme.

Solution 3:

It may be apocryphal, but there's an Einstein quote,

A minute with your hand on a hot stove feels like an hour. An hour with a beautiful woman feels like a minute. That’s relativity.