Movement

[cookertron]

I have been wondering from my 3 dimensional perspective how the universe "measures" movement.

 

When i see a sprite on a monitor or television dance across the screen i know that it's progression from one side of the screen (viewport) to the other is measured in pixels and those pixels in reality for example are measured in millimetres. This type of movement can be described in terms of block measurements because we can measure each pixels dimensions.

 

In reality when i wiggle my finger for example; does my finger pass an infinite amount of "pixels" one way before i decide to stop it and complete the wiggle in the opposite direction?

 

Is a measurement of movement a measurement of time, and if so what is the universes "pixel" of time?

 

regards

 

cookertron

Edited May 8, 2011 by cookertron

[DrRocket]

I have been wondering from my 3 dimensional perspective how the universe "measures" movement.

 

When i see a sprite on a monitor or television dance across the screen i know that it's progression from one side of the screen (viewport) to the other is measured in pixels and those pixels in reality for example are measured in millimetres. This type of movement can be described in terms of block measurements because we can measure each pixels dimensions.

 

In reality when i wiggle my finger for example; does my finger pass an infinite amount of "pixels" one way before i decide to stop it and complete the wiggle in the opposite direction?

 

Is a measurement of movement a measurement of time, and if so what is the universes "pixel" of time?

 

regards

 

cookertron

 

 

There have been attempts to model space and time discretely. They have not thus far been successful.

 

Current theories treat spacetime as a manifold. There is no smallest unit, no pixel..

 

Movement implies aq change in position over time, so quantization of movement requires both spatial and temporal measurements. -- see "differential calculus".

[ajb]

Current theories treat spacetime as a manifold. There is no smallest unit, no pixel..

 

Right, however it is likely that some discreetness or fuzziness of space-time will appear on the tiny scales of the order of the Planck length. Classical general relativity cannot cope with these tiny distances or equivalently high energies. String theory, loop quantum gravity and other approaches to quantum gravity all suggest some discreetness or noncommutativity of nature. That said, these theories not fully understood and we will have to wait to find out the exact nature of space-time.

 

Is a measurement of movement a measurement of time, and if so what is the universes "pixel" of time?

 

The idea of a chronon as the basic quanta of time has been suggested. However, I do not believe the term has been used very consistently.