What If Time Is Computation?
This framework proposes a radical idea: time isn't a mysterious backdrop to the universe—it's the rate at which physical systems process information.
Think about a clock. What does it actually do? It ticks. Each tick is a state change—a transition from one configuration to another. That's all time is: counting distinguishable changes.
Every clock—atomic, pendulum, or biological—works by transitioning between distinct states. No transitions = no time.
Quantum mechanics says there's a maximum rate you can compute: more energy = faster ticking (Margolus-Levitin bound).
Information requires energy to exist (Bekenstein bound). Concentrated information creates gravitational potential.
Dense information = slower computation = slower time. This is time dilation—not postulated, but derived.
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Explains gravitational time dilation
Clocks run slower near massive objects because information is denser there
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Matches GPS observations
Predicts 38.4 μs/day drift, observed: 38.6 μs/day
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Makes testable predictions
High-energy light should arrive slightly later from distant sources
The Chain of Reasoning
This isn't speculation—it follows from established physics. Here's the logical chain:
Systems evolve via the Schrödinger equation. This is the most tested theory in physics.
There's a minimum time to flip between distinguishable states: τ ≥ πℏ/2E. Energy caps computation speed.
Clocks, brains, measurement devices—all are made of atoms with finite information capacity.
Proper time is the count of distinguishable state changes. This is what "experiencing time" means.
Maximum information in a region is bounded by its surface area: I_max = A/4ℓ_P²
Locally, physics respects special relativity. The speed of light is the universal speed limit.
The Derivation (Simplified)
Why λ = 4?
At a black hole horizon, two things happen simultaneously:
Setting √(1 − λ × 1/4) = 0 gives λ = 4. The coupling constant is calibrated, not fitted.
Photon Arrival Time Calculator
If spacetime has discrete microstructure, high-energy photons should travel slightly slower than low-energy ones. Adjust the parameters below to calculate the predicted time delay.
What You're Calculating
Simulation Parameters
CTA Monte Carlo Simulator
2027: The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will have the precision to detect millisecond-scale delays in gamma-ray bursts from across the universe. This simulator models what CTA might observe.
Spacetime is discrete at ℓ_I ~ 10⁻²⁸ m. Information leaves fingerprints on light.
ℓ_I pushed below 10⁻²⁸ m. Framework survives; this specific scale constrained.
High-energy faster = this dispersion model ruled out. Different microphysics needed.
The simulator generates fake gamma-ray bursts with the predicted delay, adds realistic noise, then tries to recover the delay. A "3σ detection" means we can distinguish the delay from noise with 99.7% confidence.