Structural Time

Time in physics is traditionally treated as a fixed background parameter: absolute inNewtonian mechanics, geometric in relativity, and an external evolution parameter in quantumtheory. These formulations are mutually incompatible across scales, and the incompatibilityremains unresolved. We propose a new, scale-free definition of time based not on physicalduration but on structural updates — the meaningful changes a system undergoes in its internalorganisation. This variable, which we call structural time, is dimensionless, domain-agnostic,and invariant under resampling. It provides a unified temporal framework applicable fromquantum oscillators to planetary dynamics. We demonstrate that structural time remainspredictive under coarse-graining, sparse sampling, and cross-scale transformations. Usingvalidated results from the Canon framework applied to orbital mechanics and atmosphericdynamics, we show that structural time anticipates regime shifts, structural collapse, andintensification events in advance of those transitions appearing in physical time. We arguethat structural time offers a foundational diagnostic variable for multi-scale physics and aunifying principle for the study of complex systems. This paper presents the concept andits grounding in demonstrated results; the broader theoretical development is offered to theresearch community for testing and extension.