Category: Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Illusions of time

Neeraj Khanka

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Does time exist? Is it real or just an illusion?

Let’s look at this –
There are so many time zones across regions. Does this mean, one region is living in past, other in present and yet another in future? If we are talking from one region to someone in another – does this mean, we are talking to someone in past or future? If time exists, then the answer to these questions should be ‘Yes’. That would also mean, we are already doing the time travel (sort of) in our day to day life. But is that so? No.

So, what is it then?
Time depends on the positioning and perspective of the observer. It is imagery of the observer’s perspective. This would also mean – past, present and future are merely terms and nothing more. They all exists in parallel – the perspective of the observer defines them.

How to define time?
It can be said that time exists or is there when we look at it from a reference framework. For us, in the limitations of this world (including the governing principles of this physical world) – time is there as a measure, defining the happening of events. Since, we are confined to this framework, we measure with regard to time, marking the events – thus categorizing our past, present and future. These events which are happening, we can experience and see them, thereby forming our reality. What we see in our day to day life in this physical world – forms our version of reality. For another observer this version could be different.

However, if we move beyond and start looking at it from the multiverse viewpoint – there are no partitions of time. There is only one present moment – everything existing in parallel to one another. So, in the concept of multiverse, time is just an illusion created to regulate the events of physical world. And beyond all this, for Multiverse, there are no versions – everything was, is and will be there.

 

Past to some – future to others
in the multiverse – context matters
magic of universe – arduous to comprehend
but the illusions of time – I do understand.

 

 

Photo Credits: Pinterest

Miscellaneous

The birth of Quantum

Neeraj Khanka

Kvantefysik_iStock-508139163_Buzz-1080x675

Till late 19th century, Classical Physics was the norm.
To give it some measure, we can say classical physics is at atom level or larger.
It mainly deals with macroscopic world. Everything is calculated and experimented. The results can be predicted accurately (given that we have complete knowledge of the system beforehand). It also has a specific framework – one for particles and the other for waves.
Newton’s laws of motion are a perfect example of classical physics.

However, there were too many questions that classical physics could not answer.
Wave-Particle duality could arguably be the most talked about. It explains that particles can have wave like characteristics and vice versa.
For e.g. – Light acts like a wave if we look at how it travels. At the same time, it acts like a particle, when we try to describe how it interacts with matter.

Towards the end of 19th Century, Max Planck published his study, black-body radiation. His experiments demonstrated that energy, in certain situations, can exhibit characteristics of physical matter. Till this time, as per classical physics, energy had a wave framework. Planck’s theory showed that energy is made up of particle-like components, known as “quantum.” The theory helped to resolve several unexplained phenomenons for e.g. the heat behavior in solids. This discovery marked the birth of Quantum Physics and later other scientists (Einstein, Niels and so on) helped to make further advancements in it.

So, what is Quantum Physics all about? Why is it so important?
To put it simply, quantum physics deals with microscopic world. And, in the quantum world, particles can be in two states at the same time. All these particles (protons, neutrons, electrons) are the very smallest of things in nature. If we break down everything – it is all about these minute particles. We too are made up of it. Anything that happens in one small particle – effects the system (as a whole). If we can understand how it works – we can understand everything.

And, the irony –
We keep talking about bigger things, the discoveries of new planets and related stuff, but we have not succeeded yet to understand clearly, how the universe functions at the smallest level.
Black holes, Quantum entanglement – a lot has been talked on these but only in theories. We are not even close to understanding it completely.

No doubt, the universe is vast and beyond our imagination, but open to explore.
May be the answers are all lying there in the space – may be in some secret hideout – may be waiting for us to ask the right questions !

 

This is just a glimpse, there is so much more than this. I encourage you to go ahead – read, learn and explore. And, when you can uncover the mysteries and explain them in simple words – there will be a Nobel Prize waiting for you !

 

Photo Credits : Quantum

Miscellaneous

Multiverse

Neeraj Khanka

nasa-galaxy

The theory of multiverse talks about the possibilities of infinite other universes that may exist in parallel to our own.

Imagine, multiple universes – some like ours and few different ones too. The past, present and future all existing simultaneously – an event taking place in our universe may already have completed in another one or is yet to unfold.
May be, I am still writing this article in a parallel world.

Even a thought of such a possibility sparks so many questions in the mind and along with that it also brings fear, Fear of the Unknown – a natural human tendency. That fear is instilled in us since birth. We have always been taught to think in a certain way, we are brought up to function in that way. Our brains are so conditioned that we simply start to deny anything that doesn’t fit our manipulated thinking.

We must understand and start to accept – there is much much more to explore. Several discoveries and experiments by renowned scientists and physicists have helped us to uncover some mysteries. And yet, every step we have taken to get closer has revealed that we are too far away from understanding the intricate nature of multiverse.

To explain such a bizarre theory, first we must understand, how everything started. What was there when there was nothing? What caused it? Where are we headed?
There have been multiple theories around these topics, questions and few answers too. Most widely known and accepted theory is “The Big Bang” – the whole universe emerging at a single moment some 13.7 billion years ago.
And then, there are other alternative theories too, for e.g. Steady State, Eternal Inflation and so on.
But, after decades of research, it is still a “work in progress”.

…..Multiverse at large, still remains unknown !

 

“I’m the flow –
that makes, sun rise in morning
at night lets the moon glow”

 

Photo Credits: NASA