TIME :: essays research papers

T I M E â€Å"Time, what time is it? Is it time for class already? No, we still have some time.† It is time that we have totally forgotten about, and have taken it for granted for so long. But does time really exist? Does the 24 Hours of the day mean anything? Or does 12 months? Time means different things to different people. According to â€Å"COLLINS COBUILD Learner’s Dictionary† ( ©HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.1996) time is defined as ‘the measurement we measure in minutes, hours, days, and years.’ Seems rediculously simple, but does it have more to it? ‘Time’ actually have a more scientific meaning, which will later be explained. The basic definition of time comes down to â€Å"1. What we measure in minutes, hours, days and years. 2. Time is what we use to specify a certain point in the day or refer to the period which something has been happenining.† (Stephen Bullon – TIME – Collins Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary – 1999 – Pg 1155) From that definition, how long is a day? It is the amount of time taken for the earth to rotate its axis once, containing two 12hour periods. Telling the difference between the two periods, the notations AM and PM are used (Ante and Post Meridiem). We cannot literally see or tuch time, but time seems to be all around us, from waking up with an alarm clock to watching your dinner eaten away. However, reversing this process can be another concept that raises many questions. As we all are living, we are also time travellers, since time goes by as we live our lives day by day. But since this topic seems to capture our vivid imaginations, it has also become the origin of many science fiction books, movies and even cartoons. The idea of time has been thought of for so long yet, but he first evidence of the existence of time appeared in Homer’s Iliad. In this historical Greek epic, Homer stated â€Å"Now Dawn the saffron-robed was spreading over the face of all the earth.† Homer mentioned the start of a new day allowing us to know that the idea of time has been around even before 700BC. In early years, people used to record the beginnings and ends of seasons and noticing that they do come in cycles. With the advancement of astronomy, Ancient Greek started to utilize heavens and stars for designing calendars.