The time symmetry of the physical laws is discussed. The asymmetry in all statistical processes is found to be related to the tendency for radiation to diverge and that in turn is related to the expansion of the universe. No asymmetry is contained in the laws of electrodynamics, and the choice of the retarded potentials is not a time unsymmetrical step.
Time asymmetry appears to be confined to statistical tendencies resulting from the over-all expansion. The significance of the various symmetries in the physical laws is briefly discussed.
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© 1962 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1962
American Association of Physics Teachers
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