The Arrow of Time
Why do things happen in sequence? Is it possible to travel back in time? Hypography looks at some theories and articles which discuss the arrow of time.
Created by Tormod Guldvog
Last updated September 14 2001
The concept of an ?arrow of time? is meant to describe how events seem to happen in relation to each other. We perceive that everything that happens has a cause. But can something which happen in the future change something which has happened in the past? If the arrow of time is irreversible, this will never happen. One of the websites suggested below claim that this is true. However, there are alternative theories which regard time as a current which can turn and twist like any other force.
Read some or all of these pages ? and then take our poll. Can things travel back in time?
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The Arrow of Time In an Aether Universe
A very readable text by Ross Tessien on what causes the arrow of time.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsTime's Arrow and Archimedes' Point
This is the homepage for a book on the arrow of time, by Huw Price. The first chapter is published on the site.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsThe Arrow of Electromagnetic Time and Generalized Absorber Theory
This is a very heavy paper on the arrow of time, by J. G. Cramer at the University of Washington, Seattle.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsTime's Arrow: Particles cannot go back to the future
A news release from CERN which states that the arrow time is inreversible.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsNew Scientist: Time
A collection of New Scientist articles on time. There is a link to a very interesting article on the Arrow of time near the bottom of the page.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsTime's Arrow, Time's Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time
The complete (and very long) text of a paper by Stephen Jay Gould.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsTime's arrow may make U-turns in universe
An article in ScienceNews.com which states that it is possible for time to flow backwards.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsEntropy and the arrow of time
A page with a Physlink.com expert answers. The main theme is entropy, but this is closely related to the arrow of time.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsBaez on Explaining Time's Arrow
A discussion paper on the arrow of time as it is presented by Hawkins, Laflamme and Lyons. This is a very technical document.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical PhysicsTime's Arrow of Many Directions
A good read on the possibilities of time moving in several directions, written by Devin Harris.?
Review: Tormod | link detailsTheoretical Physics
