Some people say one day they'll be time machines on earth. Okay what happens when you decided to go back through time to kill your great grandfather. It should be impossible because by killing your great grandfather you wouldn't even exist in the first place and when you don't exist, you can't kill him.
2006-08-22 15:17:04 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
This is a well known paradox, known as the "grandfather paradox".
It's one of the many reasons why time travel would not make any sense at all.
2006-08-22 15:22:42 · answer #1 · answered by Steven B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
0. TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE. IT IS A PROVEN FACT FOR TIME TRAVEL TO THE FUTURE.
1. "Time machines" and time travel can be explained by relativistic time-space theory.
2. Although this is theoretically possibly, all solutions currently known are VERY difficult to implement.
3. It is possible to travel back in time, but not to the originating point in space, so you can not meet your grandfather by traveling back in time. If this turns out to be possible, it will just obey rules that may seem strange to you because we do not have any relevant experience. In any case, you can't change what happened in the past.
4. It is possible if your grandfather will travel forward in time, but this is trivial to imagine. You will be able to kill your grandfather ONLY after he gave birth to your father
5. To answer LeAnne, I can point out that we are always traveling to the future at variable, but approximately constant speed
6. Liz: assuming for a moment it is possible to travel back in time to the same point in space (Earth), it is like a system of equations:
{ax+by+cz=0
{dx+ey+fz=0
Variables can be anything, but they are dependent on each other, and the way it turns out is the way it is. So I agree with you. Anything can happen as long as it all fits together as a whole.
2006-08-22 15:28:23 · answer #2 · answered by Duke 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time travel is NOT possible. Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Max Planck and their child, the A-bomb have proved that.
But several (especially science-fiction-) writers have made the World a lot better with their ideas about the thing.
You can try and read things from Dean Koontz - he has a wonderful story about The Third Reich suddenly re-appearing in the 1980's - and things from other writers back to the 1940's and earlier. Your local book-pusher will keep you up to 'date'.
2006-08-22 15:40:38 · answer #3 · answered by Lars Hundevad M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you added your comments to your question, you actually answered your own question. Your paradox is exactly why it will be, always has been, and will continue to be impossible to physically travel back in time. And, on an additional note, the future does not exist, so it is rather foolish to think about traveling into something that doesn't exist.
2006-08-22 15:53:15 · answer #4 · answered by LeAnne 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time travel is possible. But it is not a good idea. The russians have already deviated time and our government did also. They both used very strong electo-magnetic fields. I believe that they have missed something that would make it more feasable. I also believe that Einstien took the secret to his grave, just as Stephen Hawkin will. Just like I will.
The reason it should be protected, especially from government , is the very simple fact that whoever controls time controls everything. Therefore the government can kill me if they like, but will not get my secrets.
2006-08-23 20:25:07 · answer #5 · answered by joseph t 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no possible way to break the barrier of time.
Thinking about going back in time to change something and then realizes that would mean it has already been changed can really screw up your mind and give you a headache.
Time travel is not possible.
2006-08-22 15:39:15 · answer #6 · answered by Pigeons 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have a few options...you can clone yourself and send the clone kill your great grandfather...therefore...you will be protected ...Also...what if...your great grand father never knew his wife had a child with another man??? and the wife never told anyone...therefore, you don't know either and could kill him and return to the present and be intact.
2006-08-22 16:12:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Time travel forward has been proved, going back it time is impossible
2006-08-25 22:55:49 · answer #8 · answered by postaljack 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should write a book...sciFi.
Or you should go see Back to the Future I, II, III, Butterfly Effect.
Maybe you should go take a Philosophy class
2006-08-22 15:23:27 · answer #9 · answered by kobyoshi2000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You cannot time travel. However it may be possible to hop to another quantum state and there should be no bar on you being absent from one and present in another.
2006-08-22 15:22:32 · answer #10 · answered by pechorin1 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋