2006-09-14 11:04:22 · 34 answers · asked by glasgow rocks 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
That depends on how you view time travel. It has already been done in since. A few years back two very fast jets were both given very accurate clocks that had been syncronized in time. Both planes then took off, one head east and one heading west. The planes traveled at top speed and then stopped back at the original starting point. When the clocks on both planes were compared, the time was different. One plane's time had actually slowed down when compared to the others.
Take a space ship that flys at close to the speed of light... leave the earth and travel out for 5 years and then return at the same speed for 5 years. Occupants on earth will have 'aged' about 10 years more than the occupants on the space ship.
If you call this time travel.. then theoretically it's possible.
This is all based on Einstiens theory of relativity where he postulates that each thing in our universe has it's own personal time. Time is 'relative' the person or thing. Time can also be warped by large object such as stars and planets.
Now.. can one travel back in time... or ahead in time? Well.. that would be quite difficult. Let's say you had a time machine built in your garage. It's designed to pop back in time (in an instant) to 100 years ago. You hit the button and poof! you are in outer space and instantly dead because 100 years ago earth was millions of miles from where it currently is.. not because of it's orbit around the sun but because the whole solar system is blasting through space at a million miles a minute. This is because the universe is expanding and taking earth along with it. Thus.. this makes it a bit difficult to pop from one point in time to another and retain the same spot on earth.
Hope this helps!
2006-09-14 11:17:41 · answer #1 · answered by wrkey 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As you approach the speed of light (c), time slows down - which means that an hour on board your ship could equal many years outside. The effect is intensified the closer you reach c. In theory, if you were able to travel at the speed of light, then time would stop.
Travelling backwards through time is likely to be possible - maybe using wormholes or something like that. The mechanics of a time machine probably mean you can only travel back to when the time machine was first activated - this would explain the famous argument "why haven't we been visited by time travellers?" assuming we haven't.
2006-09-15 20:09:01 · answer #2 · answered by nemesis 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
We are not physically capable of travelling through time without dying along the way and neither is anything we could construct.
The funny thing about light speed is that tends to burn up physical matter. The speed of sound nearly shakes you unconcious and that is not even close to the speed you would have to go at to time travel.
Of course you could look into the Einsteinian believe that you can see the past or the future with the proper device. The problem is that is not actual time travel.
It may not even be possible for your conciousness to travel through time. That is a speed that is not certain but it could be argued that it is fast enough to make the journey but without a body. The problem is you will need a body eventually and odds are you can't share one.
2006-09-14 11:25:51 · answer #3 · answered by LORD Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your traveling in time right now.
Einstein believed it was impossible because matter that reaches the speed of light converts to energy. This does not explain how when the universe was created it expanded at a rate faster than light which theoretically may have been what created time in the first place.
2006-09-14 11:18:00 · answer #4 · answered by jjc1138 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds nice, but it would be impossible to change what has already happened since time truely is a series of changes not a clock, and since the future hasn't happened yet how could you go there. The only way to time travel would be altering time isolated to the individual traveling so that time moves slower for them in their space and time moves faster outside. Then you would be in the future faster.
2006-09-14 11:09:08 · answer #5 · answered by prometheus81 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theoretically yes, but only forwards. You can travel forwards in time because time slows down when you approach the speed of light. Thus, if you were to go on a day trip to the extremities of the galaxy at 0.99c, when you came back all your friends would be really old.
2006-09-14 22:18:01 · answer #6 · answered by helen g 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure every time you travel it takes some amount of time. So therefore you are time traveling.
The opposite of traveling back in time may be a different topic due to traveling faster than the speed of light
2006-09-14 11:09:05 · answer #7 · answered by CaptKert 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the laws of physics allows for Time Travel in theory.
However the practical implications are beyond our current
scientific technology.
2006-09-14 11:18:55 · answer #8 · answered by Stephen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes... here is the way ..
1 / buy 6 cans of Special Brew lager
2/ one Curry and rice
3/ ask the wife to "Go out and have a good time"
4 / Drink and eat 1&2 above in one hour.
5/ Enjoy the ride...
sorted..
2006-09-14 11:18:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No! Time can't be moved or stored. You can make the earth spin faster but that won't make people age quicker or change things.It is not like cd player where you can select your track
2006-09-14 11:19:17 · answer #10 · answered by joe l 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋