Inphysics and thephilosophy of science,instant refers to aninfinitesimal interval intime, whose passage is instantaneous. In ordinary speech, aninstant has been defined as "a point or very short space of time," a notion deriving from its etymological source, the Latin verbinstare, fromin- +stare ('to stand'), meaning 'to stand upon or near.'[1]
The continuous nature of time and its infinite divisibility was addressed byAristotle in hisPhysics, where he wrote onZeno's paradoxes. The philosopher and mathematicianBertrand Russell was still seeking to define the exact nature of an instant thousands of years later.[2]
As of October 2020[update], the smallest time interval certified in regulated measurements is on the order of 397 zeptoseconds (397 × 10−21 seconds).[3]
Instant (usually abbreviated in print to inst.) can be used to indicate "Of the current month". For example, "the 11th inst." means the 11th day of the current month, whether that date is in the past, or the future, from the date of publication.[4][5][6]
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| Time inscience |
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