Is time an actual thing, or is it a quantity, or is it just a concept of our imagination? It's not like time is actually made of anything, or is it?

Time is like length, volume and space etc. How would u describe them?

We measure time as a change of state in something else, whether it is going around the sun, or the measure of decay of some substance or whatever else.

Is time an actual thing, or is it a quantity, or is it just a concept of our imagination? It's not like time is actually made of anything, or is it?

This is my view:

Our universe is physical by nature, right from the smallest sub-atomic particles through to the largest of galaxies.

All of the matter in the universe interacts with other matter and each interaction takes place one after the other, sometimes in a predictable manner.

We can measure the time it takes for events to occur by using equipment made of yet more physical matter.

By setting up the equipment to tick at an arbitrary rate (determined by using a system as predictable and reliable as possible), you can use the results from your equipment to record the apparent time between events.

But you are not really recording time!!!!! You are only recording something based on what your physical equipment tells you – something which could well change, depending on your position in the universe and your location relative to large masses. If anyone disputes this, ask them to disprove it through an experiment.

Time, therefore, does not exist but is useful, nevertheless, as a theoretical tool for observing our world.

Don’t forget that atomic clocks, which are used to verify relativity and prove time dilates, are purely physical. My belief is that although they claim to prove time is the variable factor, I’m not so sure.

My suspicion is that time is part of the physical construction of the universe, and will eventually be explained in purely physical terms. Perhaps it already has within the Physics community at a level beyond my understanding.

How would u describe them?

I figure its something that relates to the constant forward flow of events. Am I sort of right?

@Brandon9000
Hum,
you mean that it may be a superstring?
And that by `transforming/rotating` the string/membrane in a different dimension it could turn into a particle or a spatial dimension or a singularity?

Well just have to wait and see what 21^st physics comes up with

doesn't time have something to do with causality? if one event happens as a result of another, then it happens after. this way we can continue to find smaller and smaller time intervals by observing two events in nature where one is a result of another. we can continue to do this until we find either the smallest time increment possible, or we reach a point where causality can no longer be determined or it simply breaks down. either way, that could be the smallest measurable amount of time... oooh.. quanta of time anyone?

but speaking of quanta, quantum mechanics messes up this time concept somewhat. entanglement in particular is really painful in messing up causality and time as it relates to causality.