What is Time? -

What is time? Few things are so familiar and mysterious. Time is the most common noun in the English language. Our lives are governed by time, and yet we have so little understanding of it. In this episode, we consider what science has to tell us about time. We find that it is stranger than anyone could have imagined, at least, anyone before Einstein. Beginning: 00:00 Episode start: 00:25 The miracle year: 01:45 Special relativity: 03:37 Overturning tradition: 04:16 Strange predictions of special relativity: 05:30 Confirmations of special relativity: 07:36 Is the speed of light constant: 08:44 Ranging the moon: 10:05 Measuring time: 11:34 Atomic clocks: 12:53 Time dilation: 14:26 Testing time dilation: 15:53 Twin paradox: 17:32 Time dilation and GPS: 19:03 Significant time dilation: 20:25 Particle accelerators: 21:42 Length contraction: 23:27 Atmospheric muons: 23:44 Interstellar travel: 25:42 Length contraction on atomic scales: 27:30