Gauge Newsletter January 2019 | Page 16

The theory itself raises the very interesting question “If time is just another dimension, and everything moves forward, why it is not possible to change the direction of time? “, in other words, “Why cannot we travel back in time?” Even though this timeless universe theory is still at the philosophical stage, some latest quantum mechanical experiments have suggested it can be right. Specifically, some evidence has been found to back the fact that the things we consider reality does not exist until it is measured. The current answer is, Therefore, according to the way quantum “The universe follows the second law of mechanics advances, what we call time might thermodynamics which says in any cyclic not even exist in near future! process the entropy will increase or remain the same. The universe started in the Big Bang, References which was a very special stage where Entropy is so low. Since then, entropy kept increasing 1.Hafele and Keating Experiment [Online] Accessed so does time. There is no possibility of going 10/06/2018 - https://www.hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu. back to such an unlikely stage.” edu/hbase/Relativ/airtime.html 2.Time dilation[Online] available at : Accessed 12/06/2018 - https://www.britannica.com/science/ time-dilation 3.The illusion of time : what’s real?[Online] : Ac- cessed 11/06/2018 https://www.space.com/29859- the-illusion-of-time.html Karunarathna D.A.D.T. First year undergraduate, Faculty of engineering, University of Peradeniya. Timeless universe At the beginning of the 1970s, quantum physicists were faced with a common problem. It was that the theory of relativity does not always compatible with quantum mechanics. John Wheeler and Bruce Dewitt who were trying to unify them have devised the Wheeler-DeWitt equation where time had no value as a concept. Later, a British scientist Julian Barbour developed the concept further. According to him, “There is no such thing as Time. Basically, the universe is timeless.” PAGE| 14 University of Peradeniya GAUGE Magazine