Time travel thought

[Barks]

In countless Sci-Fi shows such as Stargate, they have this idea where by when you go back in time you can't change anything because it will mess up the future.

Well surely introducing even an extra molecule into a previous time line would have an enormous effect, let alone an entire person. Consider all the reactions and collisions it would cause/change/prevent, which in turn cause/change/prevent almost an infinite amount of other particle collisions which occur between the two time lines.

So surely this means the future is pre-determined and no matter what happens you cannot change the future, simply because you are changing the conditions of the particle collisions which eventually result in the collisions which take place in the present environment from which you came?

God I'm confused.

 

[paradigm]

Basically the way I see it, is that anyone destined to time travel already has, they have already "interfered" with the past, and our present is the result of that intereference.

So in summary, it makes no odds if you were to go back in time, as you will have already done it.

 

[normanthefarmer]

hence its science FICTION.........

 

[titchard]

Basically the way I see it, is that anyone destined to time travel already has, they have already "interfered" with the past, and our present is the result of that intereference.

So in summary, it makes no odds if you were to go back in time, as you will have already done it.

This is the way I see it too - makes sense though.

Although if you do think about it for too long your head does hurt.

Rich

EDIT

But that also mean the future is already set out? Because that would mean it was set out in the future that we would go back to the past...

Brain hurty now.

/EDIT

 

[Ed]

God I'm confused.

Yes, talk to him. He'll understand you.

 

[Antar Bolaeisk]

Or possibly the original timeline from which they left is maintained and upon going back in time they then took a different trouser leg of time.

 

[Barks]

EDIT

But that also mean the future is already set out? Because that would mean it was set out in the future that we would go back to the past...

Brain hurty now.

/EDIT

The future is caused by the reactions of all the particles in the universe which take place now.

So, yes it is. If you knew the exact position, speed and direction of all the particles in the universe you could predict the future.

Every human action is also the result of this. What we do or say are a result of particles colliding in a certain way. A full understanding means you'd be able to predict what people were about to say.

 

[sid]

The future is caused by the reactions of all the particles in the universe which take place now.

So, yes it is. If you knew the exact position, speed and direction of all the particles in the universe you could predict the future.

Every human action is also the result of this. What we do or say are a result of particles colliding in a certain way. A full understanding means you'd be able to predict what people were about to say.

Except you can't know speed or position simultaneously so thats not possible

 

[Haircut]

The future is caused by the reactions of all the particles in the universe which take place now.

So, yes it is. If you knew the exact position, speed and direction of all the particles in the universe you could predict the future.

Every human action is also the result of this. What we do or say are a result of particles colliding in a certain way. A full understanding means you'd be able to predict what people were about to say.

Unfortunately you can't know the exact position and momentum of any particle due to the Uncertainty principle though.

As for your time travelling question, who's to say that it wasn't those very disturbances at some point in the past that caused the universe to end up in the state we see today?
You could argue that not travelling back in time would disturb things.
Or possibly that it's another universe entirely if you subscribe to the multiverse view of things

 

[TJM]

Basically the way I see it, is that anyone destined to time travel already has, they have already "interfered" with the past, and our present is the result of that intereference.

So in summary, it makes no odds if you were to go back in time, as you will have already done it.

Yar. If anyone was ever going to strangle Hitler in his cot, we wouldn't know about him now.

 

[Fido McNasty]

In countless Sci-Fi shows such as Stargate, they have this idea where by when you go back in time you can't change anything because it will mess up the future.

Well surely introducing even an extra molecule into a previous time line would have an enormous effect, let alone an entire person. Consider all the reactions and collisions it would cause/change/prevent, which in turn cause/change/prevent almost an infinite amount of other particle collisions which occur between the two time lines.

So surely this means the future is pre-determined and no matter what happens you cannot change the future, simply because you are changing the conditions of the particle collisions which eventually result in the collisions which take place in the present environment from which you came?

God I'm confused.

Some people theorize that the moment time travel becomes somehow possible, that it is then immediately too late. For what I wouldn't even know though until I try it this Sunday evening again.

 

[Chimerical]

Has anyone seen the film 'Primer'?

That had a very interesting take on time travel.

 

[silversurfer]

The sci fi time travel is more like teleport where you would have to exist in two places at once.
The real time travel I think is from a speed difference where they have to correct atomic clocks on satellites orbiting earth because their time varys from ours, fairly boring

There was a program on the bbc discussing it which was pretty good

http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/69961-space-cowboy/

Yes, time travel was theoretically possible. And yes, he seemed to have found a way to make it happen. But, he realized suddenly, any time machine built based upon his theories would only allow a traveler to return to the moment the machine was switched on. Ipso facto, it would be impossible to travel back to a time before the machine was invented.

 

[norm]

What if an alien race has the power to manipulate the memories of human kind. That would have a time travel effect of sorts.

 

[sunama]

Yes, time travel was theoretically possible. And yes, he seemed to have found a way to make it happen. But, he realized suddenly, any time machine built based upon his theories would only allow a traveler to return to the moment the machine was switched on. Ipso facto, it would be impossible to travel back to a time before the machine was invented.

This would still allow for time travelling, to any future dates, which is what interests me a lot.

This could prove extremely lucrative, whereby someone could travel to the future and then bring back with them technology that is far in advance of what we have today. One example might be to solve the energy crisis and produce energy without using fossil fuels, perhaps by bringing back highly efficient solar panels, which could then be reverse engineered in the past.

Furthermore, how do we know that a time machine hasn't already built? Its very unlikely, but its quite possible.

I love time travelling movies and theories, but time travel would bring about A LOT of problems and Governments would have to be very very careful when authorising a time travel mission. It would probably only be used as a last resort.

 

[chrisd]

This could prove extremely lucrative, whereby someone could travel to the future and then bring back with them technology that is far in advance of what we have today. One example might be to solve the energy crisis and produce energy without using fossil fuels, perhaps by bringing back highly efficient solar panels, which could then be reverse engineered in the past.

Because of course it's much easier to invent a time machine than to improve solar panel technology.

 

[Ben M]

Sci-Fi shows

Surely the answer lies here?

 

[Mr Doovde]

As Haircut mentioned, if you believe in the multiverse, then there could be multiple time-lines instead of just one. So, you could still time travel and not affect the future of your original universe, because you would just create an alternate time line amongst many. Wouldn't that make it a bit difficult to return to your original universe in the future though?

 

[helpimcrap]

you guys are thinking too much. my head hurts.

 

[Antar Bolaeisk]

Also, if we have invented time travel in the future (wow the grammer nazis will go nuts with that structure), where are all the tourists?

(This is assuming time travel via DeLorian as opposed to some whacky worm-hole induced temporal voyaging)