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When We Do (and Do Not) Have a Classical Arrow of Time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Bryan W. Roberts
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Abstract

I point out that some common folk wisdom about time reversal invariance in classical mechanics is strictly incorrect, by showing some explicit examples in which classical time reversal invariance fails, even among conservative systems. I then show that there is nevertheless a broad class of familiar classical systems that are time reversal invariant.

Type
General Philosophy of Science
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 80 , Issue 5 , December 2013 , pp. 1112 - 1124
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

For many helpful discussions and suggestions, I would like to thank Peter Distelzweig, John Earman, David Malament, Wayne Myrvold, and John D. Norton.

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