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Shorter than short?

J

JudeB

Member
We all know that the shortest calculated unit of time and measurement is the Planck, but is it possible for there to be a smaller unit than that? I want to hear your thoughts on this question.
 
We don't all know that the shortest calculated unit of time and
measurement is the Planck. I am somebody, and I don't know that.
I don't dispute it. I've just never heard of it, til now.


"The Planck time is the time that light takes to travel one Planck length. (5.391 247 × 10⁻⁴⁴ sec.,
Full Form: .000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 053 912 47 sec."
Unit of time - Wikipedia
 
The fact that there are multiple non zero numbers at the end makes one think that a shorter time should theoretically exist. Also, you can mathematically calculate a half, fourth, ect of a Planck. Not sure if you could develop a gadget that could count fast enough to measure it in real time but human or machine limitations don't automatically negate it's existence. Why?
 
Bones: "Spock knows."
Kirk: "That's right Bones. Spock?"
Spock: "Perhaps you should ask the Rolling Stones, Captain. "

Kirk: "What?"
Bones: "They're dead, Jim. Spock is just stalling because he doesn't know."

Kirk: "Spock?"
Spock: "Isn't Keith Richards still alive, doctor?"
Bones: "Oh yeah. That's right Spock. He was declared immortal late in the 21st century. It was fortuitous that time was on his side."

Keith Richards:

"Currently there is no established unit of time smaller than the Planck time, which is approximately 5.4 x 10^-44 seconds. At scales smaller than the Planck time, our current physical theories fail to provide meaningful descriptions of reality. "

Bones: "Keith, how did you figure that out?"
Keith Richards: "Mushrooms, mate."

Spock: "He must be a vegetarian."
Kirk: "I'll explain it later, Spock."


Sir Brian May: "Are you guys sure about that? Just wondering."
Keith Richards: "Astrophysicists. Bloody hell."
 
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Lou Laurinen said:
As you can all see in my avatar, I am shorter than short :P Or maybe my husband is just taller than tall. Lol
Click to expand...
My best guess is you are around 7000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 053 912 47 Planck's tall
 
JudeB said:
We all know that the shortest calculated unit of time and measurement is the Planck, but is it possible for there to be a smaller unit than that? I want to hear your thoughts on this question.
Click to expand...

Considering that when we go enough small scale, borderline between matter and energy diminishes. You can get exactly same results modeling physics both with giving to a particle a mass and other physical qualities, or a wavelength and other energetic properties. This is considered an equilibrium state between matter and energy at lower end of scale, and you can't go below Planck's unit, as the defined theory ends here, and because you would have to start working with some weird (mathematical) results. A little bit like you can't go above the theoretical speed of light because theory of relativity ends there and you would have to start working with imaginary numbers.

Of course, this is just a mathematical theory that fits best to observations, and it is well possible that when we start adding more real world considerations, the equations eventually have to be tweaked to support smaller scales just like theory of relativity was a tweak to Newtonian physics (not invalidating Newtonian physics, but extending them at the theory's border area of high speed).

Btw. Neither AI nor Wiki wasn't involved, I was talking directly out from my bottom here, I don't know beans about quantum theory 😛. Was I even close?
 
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UFO said:
Considering that when we go enough small scale, borderline between matter and energy diminishes. You can get exactly same results modeling physics both with giving to a particle a mass and other physical qualities, or a wavelength and other energetic properties. This is considered an equilibrium state between matter and energy at lower end of scale, and you can't go below Planck's unit, as the defined theory ends here, and because you would have to start working with some weird (mathematical) results. A little bit like you can't go above the theoretical speed of light because theory of relativity ends there and you would have to start working with imaginary numbers.
Click to expand...
This may be a correct assumption and I could be way off. But the whole premise behind Plancks ideas is that microscopic things hold an extreme importance. As he had proved the existance of units billions upon billions times smaller than an atom.

With that there is a fair assumption that the numbers would continue on.The particles would continue to get smaller.

To our naked eye it may seem they do "not exist". With new found technology, (or possible technology that already exists unknown to the public) we would be able to see the particles. .
UFO said:
Btw. Neither AI nor Wiki wasn't involved, I was talking directly out from my bottom here, I don't know Jack Schitt about quantum theory 😛. Was I even close?
Click to expand...
Btw this made me chuckle in the best way out of your shear honesty. Lol I was going to put a laughing emoji. But you never know if someone will get the wrong idea.
 
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JudeB said:
We all know that the shortest calculated unit of time and measurement is the Planck, but is it possible for there to be a smaller unit than that? I want to hear your thoughts on this question.
Click to expand...
Of course it is possible. The Planck is just some "made up" unit of time... it's a human construct. What should it be... 1/100th of a Plank?... 1/1000th?... it could be anything you wanted it to be.
 
Neonatal RRT said:
Of course it is possible. The Planck is just some "made up" unit of time... it's a human construct. What should it be... 1/100th of a Plank?... 1/1000th?... it could be anything you wanted it to be.
Click to expand...
I would not be so sure of that comes out of some pretty rigorous calculations, much like the speed of light. Biggest issue what would you use as a ruler, kernel of Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
 
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