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Original poster

MN Physicists and Philosophers, I have some questions about time travel.

119 replies

Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:25

Watched Donnie Darko for the first time yesterday, which led to conversation with DH about the possibilities of time travel and alternate universes, which led to wakeful period at 3am with head full of questions.

Anyone here care to have a stab at answering (in a simplistic manner, I did not do very well at A-level physics) some of my questions?

OP posts:
WanderingGraveyards · 29/10/2007 16:29

Yes, do not watch Donnie Darko again. It will still be shite second time around.

And watch out for falling aircraft parts.

GreatBigHairyMonsterlapin · 29/10/2007 16:30

Go on Slubs, I am neither philosopher nor physicist, but as an avowed scifi nut I might have some input

zippitippitoes · 29/10/2007 16:30

oh give me the questions and I'll ask my pet physicist geek..i bet he'll have some answers

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:30

no non nonon no, I don't want to talk about Donnie Darko (I liked it btw). I have questions about black holes.

OP posts:
CappuScreamO · 29/10/2007 16:30

this is the problem with these art films

you never stay awake pondering Die Hard

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:31

So I read a brief history of time a long time ago, but iirc Einstein and Hawkins have theroised that time travel is potentially possible. Something to do with Black holes and worm holes, but that the very act of entering a black hole would result in your atomisation (not a great outcome).

Am I even vaguely thinking along the right lines?

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 29/10/2007 16:31

well what are they lol

nailpolish · 29/10/2007 16:33

pmsl @ Capp

i hated donnie darko

find myself reading the paper halfway thru

ImBarryScott · 29/10/2007 16:34

Dh informs me that if you could travel faster than the speed of light, time travel could be possible.

He's wibbling about time being just another dimension.... and space time is curved....

His short answer is No.

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:36

OK I'm gonna just keep on with the qustions in my head.

DH said he thought that if you got caught in the ?pull of a black hole then time moves at a different speed there, so (if you survived a black hole) you could have been in it for 5 years, but on earth 100 years would have passed. Maybe?

Right or Wrong?

OP posts:
WanderingGraveyards · 29/10/2007 16:36

She has gone into the future.

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:37

But it's theoretically possible Barry?

OP posts:
CappuScreamO · 29/10/2007 16:37

the thing is if people could time travel someone would have met someone from the future by now

I haven't

has anyone else?

ImBarryScott · 29/10/2007 16:37

Dh reckons yes, there is time dilation in a black hole, but it's not time travel, as you can't get back to before you started.

ImBarryScott · 29/10/2007 16:39

Dh reckons so.

But he also agrees with Cappucino!

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:40

OKaaay, but (I think this is what the film is about), that if it was possible to enter a wormhole/black hole and pass through unscathed then you could go back to a different time, but in a parallel universe?

OP posts:
WanderingGraveyards · 29/10/2007 16:41

This was on the Christmas Lectures a few years ago. Alas, the Christmas Lectures are only on telly at a time of year when one is Moste Pissed, so I retained little.

I do remember the bit about 2 nuclear clocks, one stayed in London and one flew to Beijing and back. The jetsetting clock ended up being slightly behind the London one. They explained why, but alas, I was well into the Advocat by then.

So either moving along the time space continuum changes the nature of time, or Chinese Duty Free scanners bugger up nuclear clocks.

oops · 29/10/2007 16:41

Message withdrawn

oops · 29/10/2007 16:42

Message withdrawn

ImBarryScott · 29/10/2007 16:42

Not back in time, but forwards into a parallelluniverse.

he is now banging on about how time dilation has been observed. I like it better when he was reading Babette Cole to DD.

zippitippitoes · 29/10/2007 16:44

I was going to email this question but realised he is ringing later and this could lead to a very long phone call/not sure I am up for it lol

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:44

Oh Barry, how has time dilation been observed?
This sounds interesting

OP posts:
Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 29/10/2007 16:45

Trolley/Graveyard, a nuclear clock, does that go faster than the speed of light then?

OP posts:
GreatBigHairyMonsterlapin · 29/10/2007 16:48

Slubbers, you need to think of space as a big rubber sheet. Planets with their gravity cause dents in that sheet. A black hole causes an effect like dropping a brick on that sheet. I think.

This is quite interesting about curved space

ImBarryScott · 29/10/2007 16:50

Certain particles created during reactions in the sun have been detected on Earth. When these particles are created in the lab they only 'live' for a short period of time before decaying into other particles. Their 'life-span' is less than the time it takes the to travel from the sun to Earth, at the speed of light (a journey of about 8 minutes). The theoretical explanation for this is that the journey takes less than 8 minutes from the perspective of the particles, because they travel at the speed of light therefore slowing time down for them.

Or I may just be talking a load of rubbish.