I will start with the example of a grandfather clock. The swinging of pendulum of a grandfather clock across a specific distance is a sound familiar to many. A simple clock, at the very least, requires two instances, a tick and a tock so to speak, in order to be useful as a measuring stick or frame of reference. A neural network, being comprised of neurons, would need some way to represent this tick and tock with what is available to it, neural pathways. Hence, the conception of an individual’s mental clock will need to be a neural circuit, a controlled loop so to speak.
Depending on one’s alertness level, the clock might also be said to run fast if one’s awareness of the passage of time is heightened (checked frequently), or run slow if one’s awareness of the passage of time is depressed (checked infrequently).
If we take a circular vector field and normalize it (by changing the magnitude of all the vectors to the same length in order to represent the speed of information being transmitted along a neural pathway, but keep the direction the same), then we will get a vector plot with several concentric circles of varying sizes that can represent the flow of energy in several loops or “Clocks” with different speeds, or accuracy if the metaphor is taken more literally.
Sample Vector Field Function
F = (y/((y^2+x^2)^.5)) i – (x/((y^2+x^2)^.5))j
Objectively speaking, the flow of energy would pass through all the clocks at the same rate. However, because each clock is of a different size (e.g., shorter routes vs. longer routes), then some clocks can be said to run “slower” or “faster” than others depending on which circuit is being used; in other words, the ticks and tocks happen at a greater frequency in a faster clock vs. a slower clock. Comparatively speaking, this would be the difference between a watch that only measures time accurately down to the hour, vs. a watch that measures time down to the minute, vs. a watch that measures time down to the second, vs. a watch that measures time down to the millisecond, and so on. They are all on time so to speak, but with different levels of accuracy. Another comparable analogy might be the refresh rate of a video stream, with a faster clock having a higher number of frames per second compared to a slower clock having a lower number of frames per second.
Whenever energy passes through the node (the x-axis), the passage of time is reassessed, for instance, ticking on the left side, and tocking on the right side. In this manner, an internal mental clock can be visualized using vector fields. Thereafter, an individual’s conception of the passage of time can then be used as a measuring stick against which the investment of anxiety or negative anxiety (e.g., energy that marks the valuation of other entities with respect to a single purpose) can be modeled. A heightened level of alertness, consequently, might be expected to make an individual more aware of subtle changes in valuations, as the passage of Time is reassessed more frequently. A lowered level of alertness, by comparison, might lead to an individual be more surprised when the passage of Time is finally reassessed, particularly if a situation has altered dramatically.