Physicists discover time may move in discrete ‘chunks’
Two separate teams of physicists have discovered that time, under certain circumstances, may pass in discrete chunks, rather than flowing continuously.
Scientists have two fundamental ways to measure quantities in nature — values are considered continuous or discrete. An example of a continuous measure being length, an object can be 5cm or 6cm long, but in-between those measurements there’s a multitude of values — the amount depending on the precision used.
An example of a discrete value would be something that’s forced to take an integer — whole — value. The number of apples in a bag, or cars passing under a bridge.
Scientists have always considered time a continuous value, not a discrete one— roughly speaking at least.
Time has never been considered to progress in “chunks,” — instead, flowing smoothly and continuously. This means that the dynamics of physical systems are modelled as continuous-time “Markov processes” — named after mathematician Andrey Markov. Indeed, scientists have used these processes to investigate a range of real-world processes from folding proteins, to evolving ecosystems, to shifting financial markets, with astonishing success.
