The Times

[Verse]
Haven’t you been on top
(Long enough)
Perhaps you should stop
(Long enough)

[Verse]
Haven’t you been on the bottom
(Rollin’ in the rough)
Perhaps you should succumb
(Start gettin’ tough)

[Verse]
So here we are
(Really not that far)
From where we started from
(Perhaps a little less dumb)

Mungo

[Verse]
They pulled reclaimed wool
(Over their eyes)
Thinking sheepish will hide the fool
(Only to realize)

[Bridge]
Realize!
It’s a mungo (a go-go)
But what do they know
(Woe, know no know)
Mungo (a go-go)
Here we go

[Verse]
Their reclaimed wool
(Still covers the fool?)
As the wolf prepares to eat
(Lamb! Oh, what a treat)

[Bridge]
Pulled wool…
(Over their eyes)
Realize!
It’s a mungo (a go-go)
But what do they know
(Woe, know no know)
Mungo (a go-go)
Here we go
Come mungo (a go-go)
Know what they no
(As they know no know)
Mungo (a go-go)
Here we go
Mungo (a go-go)
Here we come
Mungo (a go-go)
Free (dumb)

Change It Up

[Bridge]
Would it be abrupt!
To change it up?
Can’t turn down
(Changing up)
Getting down
(Changing up)
Down, down, down

[Refrain]
To remain the same
(Will drive us insane)
Don’t rename the game
(And shift the blame)

[Bridge]
Would it be abrupt!
To change it up?
Can’t turn down
(Changing up)
Getting down
(Changing up)
Down, down, down

[Outro]
To remain the same
(Is insane)
To go backwards…
(Reverse is worse)
Four words:
(Forewords… onward… light delight)
Incite (insight)
Incite (in sight)

Yum

[Verse]
The time has come…
Yum (and then some)
Don’t let the taste
(Go to waste)

Roll On

[Intro]
[Instrumental, Organ Solo, Synth, Bass, Percussion]
The times…
(Roll on)
They roll on and on an on
(Rollin’ along)

[Bridge]
The clock chimes
As the times…
(Roll on)
They roll on and on an on
(Rollin’ along)
Rollin’ on
(On and on an on)

[Refrain]
As for my bones n’ hide
(We’re along for the ride)
Might as well thrive
(As opposed to survive)

[Bridge]
The clock chimes
As the times…
(Roll on)
They roll on and on an on
(Rollin’ along)
Rollin’ on
(On and on an on)

[Refrain]
As for my bones n’ hide
(We’re along for the ride)
Might as well thrive
(As opposed to survive)

[Outro]
Unless you’ve some place to hide
(Come along for the ride)
Might as well let love thrive
(As we strive to survive alive)

It’s About Time

[Verse 1]
A fundamental quantity
(That you can’t really see)
To sequence an event
(Is what I meant)

[Chorus]
Indeed
(What does the clock read?)
Oscillations of a caesium
(Observations of time)

[Verse 2]
Hold on a second
(While I define time)
What do you recommend
(While I’m in my prime)

[Bridge]
[Chorus]
[Outro]
Time sublime
It’s about time
(Time came to mind)
Try to find the time
(To remind)
Time’s so sublime

In physics, time is considered a fundamental quantity that allows for the sequencing of events and the measurement of durations. Its definition and behavior vary across different physical frameworks:

Core Concepts of Time
* Operational Definition: In practical physics, time is simply “what a clock reads”. The standard unit is the second, defined by the oscillations of a caesium-133 atom.
* The Arrow of Time: While most fundamental laws of physics are time-reversible (they work the same forward and backward), our reality has a clear direction. This is primarily explained by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that entropy (disorder) in a closed system generally increases over time.
* Spacetime: Modern physics treats time as a fourth dimension integrated with the three dimensions of space into a single manifold called spacetime.

Major Physical Theories of Time
* Classical (Newtonian) Time: View’s time as “absolute,” flowing at a constant, uniform rate throughout the universe, independent of any observer.
* Relativistic Time (Einstein): Time is relative to the observer’s motion and gravity.
* Time Dilation: Moving clocks run slower than stationary ones, and time passes more slowly near massive objects (gravitational time dilation).
* Block Universe: This theory suggests that past, present, and future all exist simultaneously in a fixed 4D “block,” making the “flow” of time a human perception or illusion.

Quantum Time: In standard quantum mechanics, time is treated as an external, absolute parameter (like in Newtonian physics) rather than a dynamic part of the system.

The Problem of Time: A major conflict in theoretical physics is that general relativity treats time as malleable and part of spacetime, while quantum mechanics treats it as a background parameter. Resolving this is a key goal of quantum gravity research.

Theoretical Units and Boundaries
Planck Time: The smallest theoretically observable unit of time, approximately
5.39×10-445.39 cross 10 to the negative 44 power

5.39×10−44 seconds.

Chronon: A proposed discrete “packet” or quantum of time, though most current physics models treat time as continuous.

Beginning of Time: According to the Big Bang theory, time itself began approximately 13.8 billion years ago alongside the universe.

To Procrastinate

[Verse 1]
You want to hold a debate
(Question if fact is fact)
Call it a scientific berate
(The type of ass: smacked)

[Chorus]
We’ve cast our fate
(The only question: rate)
Stuffed sarcasm chasm
(Wrapped in self-hate)

[Verse 2]
Best postpone procrastination
(We’ve no time for any of that)
Bemoanin’ our situation
(’cause that’s where we’re at)

[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[Outro]
Forsake debate
(Acknowledge the rate)
Plainly state…
It’s much too late
(To procrastinate)

A Fourth Dimension

[Verse 1]
Three dimensions
(Just aren’t enough)
Ask the Babylonians
(When the times get tough)

[Verse 2]
Four dimensions
(And just in time)
Ask the Babylonians
(About numbers prime)

[Chorus]
[Outro]
Envelope (unfold)
(Like a Big Bang)
Spacetime 4D manifold
(Is there time to hang)
Time (Going bold)
(Time) Getting old

ABOUT THE SONG
Modern physics treats time as a fourth dimension integrated with the three dimensions of space into a single manifold called spacetime.

To fully describe an “event” (a specific occurrence), you must provide four coordinates: three for its location in space (x,y,z) and one for its point in time (t).

Minkowski Space: Formulated by Hermann Minkowski in 1908, this mathematical model treats time as an additional axis. To keep units consistent, time is often multiplied by the speed of light (ct), allowing it to be measured in units of distance like the other three dimensions.

The Spacetime Interval: Unlike pure distance in 3D space, which everyone agrees on, measurements of space and time can vary between observers moving at different speeds. However, the “spacetime interval”—a combination of both—remains constant (invariant) for all observers.

Curvature and Gravity: In Einstein’s General Relativity, gravity is not a force but the curvature of this 4D spacetime manifold. Massive objects like stars and planets warp spacetime, which dictates how other objects (and even light) move through it.

Differences from Spatial Dimensions While time is mathematically a dimension, it is physically distinct from space

Directionality: Humans can move in any direction through the three spatial dimensions, but we can only move “forward” along the temporal axis.

Relativistic Effects: As you move faster through space, your “rate of travel” through the time dimension decreases relative to others, a phenomenon known as time dilation.

Worldlines: Because an object always exists at some point in time, it traces a continuous path through the 4D manifold called a worldline. Even if you remain perfectly still in space, you are still moving through the fourth dimension.

Historical Note: The ancient Babylonians (flourishing c. 2000 BCE) laid the foundational “mathematical skeleton” of modern timekeeping through their sophisticated understanding of astronomy and numerical systems.

Prime Time: The most famous example of prime numbers “measuring” time is found in periodical cicadas.

Prime Life Cycles: Certain species emerge only every 13 or 17 years.
Predator Avoidance: By staying underground for a prime number of years, cicadas minimize their synchronization with predators that have shorter, non-prime life cycles (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 years). For instance, a predator on a 4-year cycle would only coincide with 13-year cicadas once every 52 years.

Prime Time

[Verse 1]
What a notion
(Transformed celestial motion)
Spacetime…
(In space and time)

[Bridge]
Before going numb-er
(What’s your number?)
2, 3, 5, 7, 11
(Measure heaven)

[Chorus]
In the grand scheme of things
(It’s our prime time)
What math means and nature sings
(Count in… our prime time)

[Verse 2]
Now with the knowhow
(We can count on tomorrow)
In a lifetime
(… no longer need to borrow)

Prime Time: Ancient Timekeeping, Number Theory, and the Biology of Survival

The ancient Babylonians (flourishing c. 2000 BCE) constructed the mathematical skeleton upon which modern timekeeping still rests. Their sexagesimal (base-60) numerical system—likely chosen for its exceptional divisibility—gave us the 60-minute hour and the 360-degree circle. Sixty is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, making it uniquely suited for astronomical calculation.

Babylonian astronomer-priests meticulously recorded lunar phases, planetary motions, and eclipses over centuries. These observations allowed them to detect periodicities and construct predictive cycles—early forms of time series analysis. In essence, they transformed celestial motion into structured mathematics. Time became measurable, divisible, and forecastable.

Yet mathematics does not belong solely to human civilization. In a striking example from evolutionary biology, prime numbers appear embedded in the life cycles of periodical cicadas.

Prime Life Cycles: Mathematics as an Evolutionary Strategy

Certain species of North American periodical cicadas (genus Magicicada) emerge synchronously every 13 or 17 years—both prime numbers. After spending over a decade underground as nymphs, entire broods surface in massive, synchronized events.

The evolutionary advantage of these prime-numbered cycles lies in predator avoidance.

Most predators operate on shorter, often composite reproductive cycles—2, 3, 4, or 6 years. When prey species follow composite cycles, overlaps with predators occur more frequently. Prime-numbered emergence intervals minimize this synchronization.

Because prime numbers share no divisors other than 1 and themselves, they minimize coincident periodic alignment. In mathematical terms, primes maximize the least common multiple between interacting cycles. In ecological terms, they reduce predictable synchronization with predators.

This is not accidental numerology. Population models show that prime-numbered periodicity confers strong selective advantage in environments with cyclic predation pressure. Over evolutionary time, natural selection effectively “solved” a number theory optimization problem.

Ancient Plagues and Cyclical Swarms

Biblical and ancient Near Eastern accounts of locust plagues describe overwhelming, seemingly apocalyptic swarms. While locust cycles are not prime-numbered like cicadas, their mass emergences are also governed by environmental triggers, population density thresholds, and nonlinear feedbacks.

In both cases—cicadas and locusts—we observe biological systems operating on periodic, threshold-driven dynamics. Ancient observers, including the Babylonians and later Hebrew chroniclers, documented these cycles carefully. Although they lacked formal number theory, they recognized recurring temporal patterns—early empirical timekeeping grounded in ecological observation.

Ironically, what appeared to ancient societies as divine timing or supernatural plague may also represent one of the earliest intersections of mathematics, ecology, and recorded history.

Nonlinear Timing Across Systems

The deeper insight connecting Babylonian astronomy and cicada biology is periodicity under constraint.

In complex systems theory, resonance amplifies interaction. Desynchronization dampens it. Prime periodicity is, in effect, a biological strategy of controlled desynchronization.

Slipping Through

[Verse 1]
Keeping my fingers closed
(I supposed)
I could slow the flow
(But… I dunno)

[Chorus]
Are the times slipping through
(For you, too)
The minutes turn to moments
(Soon to be memory)

[Verse 2]
Keeping my fingers tight
(I thought I might)
Ya know… slow the flow
(But… watch it go)

[Chorus]
Are the times slipping through
(For you, too)
The minutes turn to moments
(Soon to be memory)

Δ To Cause a Change

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