Abstract
The concept of time has been discussed since the earliest records of philosophy, at which point science had not yet become a separate subject. It is rooted in the subjective experience of the present or moment of awareness which appears to ‘flow’ through time and thereby to dynamically distinguish the past from the future. This has led to the formal representation of time by the real numbers, and of the present as a point moving in the direction defined by their sign.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zeh, HD. (1989). The Physical Concept of Time. In: The Physical Basis of the Direction of Time. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02595-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02595-6_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-50930-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-02595-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive