The Age of Time

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"The Age of Time" explores the possibility that the universe may possess memory of the past. The discussion starts by explaining the relationship between time and age. The chapter explains that, even though time is just an imaginary concept, age seems to be something real that irreversibly advances with time. To understand this connection, the chapter quickly reviews the scientific definition of time, from the sundial to the atomic clock, and it then continues with the history of entropy from the steam engine to the theory of communication. It concludes that entropy behaves as an immaterial memory that takes note of every action and remembers it for the rest of eternity. Metaphorically speaking, entropy behaves as if the universe must remember the past in order to avoid repeating it in the future.