Why space and time are not different

Many differences are proposed between space and time. This post briefly indicates how all of them are a matter of convention, and so not real. For details, consult posts on this blog.

(1) There are three space dimensions but only one time dimension.

Directionality can be associated with either length or time (duration). 3D time is as legitimate as 3D space. One may adopt either time references or length references. It’s a choice or convention.

(2) The time is always changing (“flowing”) but space position need not change.

Time seems to “flow” because of its association with continual change, as of a river. But change can just as well be associated with length. Something floating down a river continually changes it length of travel. So a continual increase of length can be associated with change.

(3) There is an “arrow” of time, but not of space.

As in (2) above, if length is associated with change, then there is an “arrow” of length. Compare a vehicle’s odometer, which never decreases. An odologue shows length always increasing, like a clock.

(4) Time has a past, present, and future, but space does not.

Space includes where one was in the past, where one is now, and where one will be in the future.

(5) Travel takes place in all spatial directions, but only in one temporal direction.

Travel takes place in all temporal directions since there is a travel time for each direction of travel. Space may be associated with the travel distance, which has one direction.

(6) Entropy grows with time, but not with space.

One can equally well define an entropy of space and show that it tends to increase with the distance of motion.

(7) Causality is ordered temporally, not spatially.

Causality is ordered spatially as well as temporally. What happens in one place is causally related to what happens in adjoining places, and on to other places.

(8) Causally connected events are timelike or lightlike, but cannot be spacelike.

In a 3D time and linear referencing context, the properties of timelike and spacelike are interchanged.