wSecond

wSecond is a unit of time used in simulation, modeling, and game-development contexts to express durations relative to a local time scale, denoted by w. It is defined as one wSecond equals w real seconds, with w being a dimensionless time-scaling factor that may vary across objects or subsystems. By using wSeconds, simulations can decouple event timing from the wall clock while still allowing straightforward conversion back to real time.

In a typical implementation, the progression of an entity is tracked in wSeconds, and the real-time elapsed is obtained by multiplying by the entity’s time scale: real_time = t_wSeconds × w. This enables effects such as slow motion, pause, or speed-up without altering the underlying physics equations, since the time scale adjusts how quickly the world advances for that entity.

Per-object or per-system time scales are common in complex simulations. A global time scale can be shared across the world, while individual objects may have their own w factors for localized effects. It is important to document the w value used for each context to avoid confusion with standard seconds.

Examples help illustrate the concept. With a slow-motion factor w = 0.25, 4 wSeconds equal 1 real second. With a fast-forward factor w = 2, 2 wSeconds equal 4 real seconds. These conversions highlight how wSeconds function as a flexible, relative measure of duration.

See also: second, time scale, delta time, simulation clock.