How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
These arguments, theoretical though they were, concerned a matter of the utmost practical importance; they involved the concept of "reaction time." (32.9)
How long is it going to take the aliens to get to earth? The answer, as it turns out, is "no time at all." The aliens have mastered space, which means they have mastered time, just like their mastery of the past and all those man-apes reflects their mastery of the future. The aliens are everywhere and everywhen. They're tough to get away from.
Quote #8
The seconds themselves were passing with incredible slowness, as if time itself were coming to a stop. At last, the tenth-of-a-second counter froze between 5 and 6. (41.7)
Einstein's theory of relativity linked travel through space and time—basically, as you approach light speed, time appears to slow down from your frame of reference. Something like that is happening to Bowman, whose watch slows down as he goes through the faster-than-light transportation of the Star Gate (This would be convenient if you're ever late to an appointment, obviously.)
Quote #9
He was retrogressing down the corridors of time, being drained of knowledge and experience as he swept back towards his childhood. (45.8)
This is the second time retrogression occurs in the novel. The first is when Bowman unplugs Hal, making him regress to when he was just a baby calculator. Again, this reflects the way the novel treats time and space—you go into the stars to find the past, and so Bowman on the other side of the galaxy regresses to a (super space) baby.