From: starmaker@ix.netcom.com   
      
   On Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:02:35 +0200, Thomas Heger    
   wrote:   
      
   >Am Mittwoch000015, 15.10.2025 um 20:05 schrieb Paul B. Andersen:   
   >> Den 15.10.2025 09:44, skrev Thomas Heger:   
   >>> Am Montag000013, 13.10.2025 um 21:59 schrieb Paul B. Andersen:   
   >>   
   >>>>   
   >>>> What the display on a 'clock' shows is a 'point in time'.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> I can say that the 'time' now is October 13, 2025, 14:34:32 CET   
   >>>> That's 'a point in time'.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> If I left my home at   t1 = October 13, 2025, 7:05:10 CET   
   >>>> and arrived at work at t2 = October 13, 2025, 7:59:50 CET   
   >>>> Then I can say that the 'time' I used to walk to work today   
   >>>> was 54 minutes and 40 seconds.  (?t = t2 - t1)   
   >>>> That's a duration (or 'interval').   
   >>>>   
   >>>> So "time" can be both 'a point in time' and a duration.   
   >>>   
   >>> No: a point in time is also a duration, but where the reference point   
   >>> (= the beginning of the interval) is assumed to be known already.   
   >> You _know_ that we in the western world specifies "points in time"   
   >> with the Gregorian calendar and the time zones based on UTC.   
   >   
   >Sure, but we could actually use all the other Popes, too, and could use   
   >their calendars, if we wished to do that.   
   >   
   >So: UTC is just one selection from a plethora of possibilities.   
   >   
   >>   
   >>>>   
   >>>> If we are only interested in durations, we may choose to   
   >>>> use a clock we can set to zero at any time.   
   >>   
   >> We are free to choose our time scale any way we want.   
   >> But it must be precisely defined, it is not 'given by nature'.   
   >>   
   >> Gregorian calendar and time zones based on UTC is   
   >> what 'everybody' uses in their everyday life.   
   >   
   >No, that is absolutely not true.   
   >   
   >We have actually several time systems in use today.   
   >   
   >Among the more important ones are the calendars of the Jews and the Muslims.   
   >   
   >   
   >> You use your wristwatch to meet at work at the right   
   >> 'point in time', don't you?   
   >   
   >Well, sometimes.   
   >   
   >Most of the time I use actually a different kind of clocks, which are   
   >based upon a timing signal, which gets broadcasted by some agency in   
   >Germany.>   
   >> But for scientific work, we will probably use other definitions of   
   >> our time.   
   >   
   >Sure, but not because our needs are higher, but because time has nothing   
   >to do with clocks.   
      
   what? if you ask someone "What time do you have?", don't you expect   
   them to look at their clock????   
      
   >   
   >...   
   >   
   >   
   >TH   
      
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