Time: Its Structure and Role in Physical Theories: Synthese Library, cartea 179

I. Physical time and the problem of its structure.- I.1 Introduction.- I.2 The order structure of time.- I.3 The topological structure of time.- I.4 The metrical structure of time.- I.5 Conclusion.- Notes.- II. The geometrical nature of physical time: parameter time and coordinate time.- II.1 Introduction.- II.2 Parameter and coordinate.- II.3 Parameter and coordinate time in Newtonian physics.- II.4 Parameter and coordinate time in Einsteinian physics.- II.5 The geometrical nature of time in quantum mechanics.- II.6 Translation of the space and time into the spacetime formalism and vice versa.- II.7 The geometrical nature of time and dynamics.- II.8 Parameter versus coordinate time in the study of time; some philosophical issues.- Notes.- III. Time asymmetry.- III.1 Arrow of time: time asymmetry and time flow.- III.2 Time asymmetry.- III.3 (Ir)reversibility and the time reversal operator T*.- III.4 Time asymmetry and temporal orientability.- Notes.- IV. Thermodynamical time asymmetry and the second law of phenomenological thermodynamics.- IV. 1 Introduction.- IV. 2 The mechanical program.- IV. 3 The thermodynamical program.- IV. 4 Discussion.- Notes.- Epilogue.- Name index.