The rate at which events occur.

[Little Bang]

There have been numerous threads attempting to describe time. There is another phenomena of time that I think of more importance and that is WHY does time slow down when it approaches matter? The standard answer is that space/time is warped in the vicinity of matter. That same answer is used to explain gravity but, is it a satisfying answer? To many people yes, to me no. I would like to know the how, the why, the mechanism by which this phenomena occurs. Any ideas out there?

[freeztar]

WHY does time slow down when it approaches matter?

 

It's not useful to think of time "approaching matter". For all practical purposes, time does not exist without matter.

 

The standard answer is that space/time is warped in the vicinity of matter. That same answer is used to explain gravity but, is it a satisfying answer? To many people yes, to me no. I would like to know the how, the why, the mechanism by which this phenomena occurs. Any ideas out there?

 

The ontology of time and space is likely to remain a great mystery. Perhaps they are simply irreducible constructs, ie fundamental.

[Little Bang]

freeze, the light from the sun is slightly blue shifted as it approaches our eye because of earth's gravitational field. Doesn't that suggest it is important to think about how time changes as it approaches matter?

 

Time is a necessary component of the universe but the fact that it is a variable shows that it is not a fundamental constant.

 

That brings another question to mind. If we look at another galaxy 13.5 billion light years away doesn't that mean we are looking into a gravity well that is also that deep, wouldn't it's light be red shifted some because of this gravity well?