Our definition of timeas clock-ticks provides an exact explanation of the decrease in the quantity of clock-ticks (time dilation) in relativistic cases, and it suggests a concrete mechanism that allows comparison between relative observers. Eventually, the contraction of the confinement volume behaves like a built-in gamma factor indicator. However, considering the delicate nature of the subject, interested readers may study the additional discussion on time dilation.

According to the geometric structure we suggest in this paper, the same kind of strain packages (elementary “particles”) with mass have the same amount of circulations Nrotations in the confinement volume in the same distance interval towards time dimension (Section 6.5 on “Simultaneity”). However, our definition of simultaneity is not related to the simultaneity of clock-ticks or events in relative cases. On the contrary, it describes the concrete physical mechanism behind the relativity of clock-ticks, and it provides a basis from which we can compare the variations in relative clock-ticks.

Eventually, in accelerated frames (also in gravitational fields), the quantity of clock-ticks decreases relatively. On the other hand, decrease in the clock-ticks does not mean that the amount of intrinsic circulations in the confinement volume somehow decreases. Conversely, intrinsic circulations are kept constant in simultaneous cases. Hence, the relative decrease in quantity of clock-ticks indicates that, occurrence of the same physical event needs more circulations in the confinement volume.

By a physical event, we mean a single occurrence of a process such as the ionization of an atom. These events, as a concept, can be in a scale that extends from radioactive activities to actions in biological systems. However, the most precise event seems to be the transition between two energy levels of the ground state of the Caesium-133 atom, which is the basis of atomic clocks.

In fact, the reason for the decrease (contraction) of clock-ticks in accelerated frames is simple: After the acceleration, the knots and vortexes (strain package with mass) have more intrinsic stress (and strain). Practically, the relativistic mass increase describes the increase in stress content in accelerated strain packages. As a result, strain formation that has more intrinsic stress content needs more external energy input or more “time” to receive more energy for the same physical event. Practically, this results in events and clock-ticks slowing down in accelerated frames. (In fact, the compression mechanism of gravity, which we will examine deeply on next chapter: “Fundamental Forces and Gravity”, creates the same effect through different means.)

It is surely practical to measure the period of these events (e.g. cesium transitions) to describe time dilation. However, it is important to realize that the basic physical mechanism (intrinsic circulations in the confinement volume) does not slow down in systems that are more energetic; instead, the same physical event needs more intrinsic circulations to occur.

We can demonstrate this relation best by re-constructing N.D. Mermin’s light clock experiment.