ADVANCES in physics often result from observations that don’t fit theory: the Michelson-Morley experiment, for example, saw no universal ether, paving the way for Einstein’s relativity.
That successful theory is itself hard to square with one of the most universal observations of all. Relativity, and many subsequent physical theories, kill off the notion that time flows – but every human alive will argue otherwise.
Well, almost every human: some physicists are resigned to the “block universe”, with its static time. Others, however, feel that any theory that doesn’t accommodate our experience must be flawed (see “Saving time: Physics killed it. Do we need it back?“).
Despite their efforts, the passage of time still remains elusive (see “Entangled toy universe shows time may be an illusion“). Will we ever come to an understanding with the universe? To coin a phrase: time will tell.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Cracking an eternal puzzle”
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