TIME AND TIDE

Test examines mystery of time

An aptly titled ''Time Shift Experiment'' combines some of the most complicated physics concepts with simple machines and -- Florida physics professor Carlos Dolz said -- may prove that time travel is possible.
Time shifts are not uncommon, the professor said. There have been experiments in the past that compared atomic clocks on fast-flying planes to those on the ground. The clocks on board the planes showed a slight shift forward.
He said he became even more fascinated by time when he was studying gravity -- he found that he could not truly understand one without the other.
The experiment involves putting a digital clock under immense force by spinning it on a centrifuge.
The basic idea behind the experiment is to speed up the frequency of the pulses, or ticks, produced by the clock with force to push it ahead.