A Theoretical Perspective
Explore the relative nature of time within distributed systems by examining the physical principles that challenge universal time. Learn how event ordering problems arise and are addressed without relying on global clocks, gaining insights necessary to design effective distributed algorithms.
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What we have demonstrated so far is a rather practical and simplified version of the notion of time.
People once believed in an absolute, universal time—a single, unchanging clock ticking throughout the cosmos. However, modern physics has shown that time is relative. Observers in different states of motion or gravitational environments can measure time differently. Thus, the concept of universal time doesn’t hold in reality.
Laws of physics
According to the laws of physics, more specifically the special theory of relativity, it is impossible to absolutely state that two distinct events ...