The Discrete Nature of Time: A Causal Interaction Framework

ABSTRACT We derive the discreteness of time from two empirically established results of Einstein (1905): the photoelectric effect (quantized energy) and special relativity (time relativity). The Planck–Einstein relation E = hf and mass–energy equivalence E = mc² jointly yield a characteristic frequency f = mc²/h and a minimum temporal resolution T = h/mc² for any energy packet of rest mass m. Combined with a principle of ontological parsimony excluding unobservable continuous background time, we propose that time does not exist as a continuous substrate but emerges as the discrete sequence of causal interaction events between energy packets. THE STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENT The framework generates a temporal ontology where: The Past: The absolute record of resolved events. The Present: The local interface of causal resolution. The Future: The genuinely open space of unresolved possibilities. In v2.0, the "Present" is further specified as a structured region containing three sub-components: The Past of the Present: The "scar-vertex" anchoring the currently operating agency. The In-between: The ongoing resolution. The Future of the Present: The two binary branches of the coming inflection. THEORETICAL INTEGRATION & V2.1 UPDATES The framework is compatible with Special and General Relativity in tested regimes. Quantum Mechanics is extended, with wavefunction collapse reinterpreted as state resolution at interaction, and Heisenberg's indeterminacy relation recovered from the modal structure of the present. The Constant c: Identified in v2.0 as the invariant ratio of the "in-between" — the observable signature of the quantum teleportation by which every resolution operates. The Bohr Leap: In v2.1, c is canonically identified with the Bohr quantum leap of 1913. The photon is recognized as the same kind of entity as the Bohr atomic transition, sharing three key structural features: no intermediate state, no intermediate position, and empirical confirmation via discrete spectral lines. FALSIFIABLE PREDICTIONS The paper states three primary predictions: A dual-regime discrete-time signature. Thermal-gradient time dilation beyond the predictions of General Relativity. Finite maximum event density, effectively precluding the existence of physical singularities. REFERENCES & FURTHER READING Full Ontological Foundation: The Structure of the Present: An Ontology of Imperfect Time, Teleported Space, and Hierarchical Agency (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19711475). Canonical Formulation (Bohr-leap): Sincere Science Series, Volume I, Chapter 6 (On Discrete Time – Technical Edition, 2026).