# Universal time

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637 "2013-08-19T13:47:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/21 "2013-08-19T20:44:25Z")

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> [@si\_blakely](#):
>
> Hot Cross Bun Time **is** simultaneous across all frames of reference 😃

I’ve just had a thought: the cake is a lie:eek:

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/22 "2013-08-19T21:14:31Z")

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> [@Learjeff](#):
>
> I believe even Einstein said that C was a funny constant in the equation (or, C squared), in that, **if units were defined more sensibly in retrospect, there’d be no need for a constant at all, and you’d get E = M.**

Isn’t that just what physicists do, when they measure masses of particles in “electron-volts”?

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/23 "2013-08-19T22:26:11Z")

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Yup. Conscientious physicists will usually try to include a footnote at the start of a paper saying that they’re using units where c = 1 (and also usually any other fundamental constants that happen to be relevant, such as hbar, G, Coulomb’s constant, Boltzmann’s constant, etc.).

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**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/24 "2013-08-19T23:55:24Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> If you see anything about advanced physics and it DOESN’T contravene common sense, they’re explaining it wrong.

I think Heisenberg addressed that quite adequately: it makes perfect sense until you read it (the observer effect). You can understand where each word is, or where the sentences are going, but not both.

Or something like that.

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**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/25 "2013-08-20T04:24:49Z")

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> [@For You](#):
>
> I think Heisenberg addressed that quite adequately: it makes perfect sense until you read it (the observer effect). You can understand where each word is, or where the sentences are going, but not both.
> 
> Or something like that.

clapclapclapclapclapclap

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/26 "2013-08-20T15:21:49Z")

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Actually, it’s quite possible for relativity to become intuitive, once you’re familiar enough with it. Everything in relativity is basically just a generalization of the concept of rotation, and once you realize that, most of your intuition about rotation applies, possibly with some minor tweaks.

Now, quantum mechanics is another story. You can still make progress in quantum mechanics, and a lot of the “weird” things in quantum aren’t actually so weird after all if you approach them right… But as Feynman once said, anyone who understands quantum mechanics, doesn’t understand quantum mechanics.

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**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-time/666637/27 "2013-08-20T20:12:57Z")

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QM is quite a neat little theory, until you try to apply it to real things.

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