Re: Scaled or Granular Dates

"Marshall Spight" <mspight_at_dnai.com> wrote in message news:MbBLb.7894$I06.51088_at_attbi_s01...
> "Pat Turner" <purpletrousers_at_netscape.net> wrote in message
news:z%TKb.153$M4.119_at_newsr2.u-net.net...
> >
> > Somebody might say, that the latter dates are really periods that should
> > be recorded as two dates: They are periods but then again, aren't all
> > date/times. There is no way of recording an instant in time as there is
> > always a higher level of accuracy that exists, but cannot be measured.
>
> This isn't quite right. Yes, you're getting at real issues: precision and
intervals,
> but it's overgeneralizing to say there's no such thing as a point in time.
>
> As an example: the midnight that comes between 2003 and 2004 is a
> point in time, not an interval.

From this article titled "Ground-breaking work in understanding of time" http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/icc-gwi072703.php

<quote>
Lynds also points out that in all cases a time value represents an interval on time, rather than an instant. "For example, if two separate events are measured to take place at either 1 hour or 10.00 seconds, these two values indicate the events occurred during the time intervals of 1 and 1.99999...hours and 10.00 and 10.0099999...seconds respectively." Consequently there is no precise moment where a moving object is at a particular point. From this he is able to produce a fairly straightforward resolution of the Arrow paradox, and more elaborate ones for the others based on the same reasoning. A prominent Oxford mathematician commented, "It's as astonishing, as it is unexpected, but he's right." </quote>

Regards
Paul Vernon
Business Intelligence, IBM Global Services Received on Mon Jan 12 2004 - 15:29:12 CET