Do you think time travel will ever be possible?

Question

Would we be able to control when we would be traveling to? Would we truly be traveling through time or just to another universe that is not as "old" as ours? (I can't think of a better way to phrase that...I know, I'm sorry)

Answer 1

Well, your phrasing is not bad, because scientists do not know currently if that is possible. The only way left to travel in any direction in time is no longer speed, since the theory of relativity does not allow it mathematically, and the only thing left is the bending of the space/time 'fabric' in order to go from point a to point c by bending the universe at point b, making the travel distance zero.
But you must consider the fact that a light year travels about 5,878,625,373,183.61 statute miles in that one year. So in effect, whenever we are looking at the stars and the sun, which is a harmful hobby, we are looking at their past images and not their current ones. The galaxies at the farthest reaches of the universe are being seen as they were when the universe began, rather how it is now, since light took that long to get here.
Now many scientists state that one day, black holes can be observed directly, and not through their effects on other planets and stars to provide means for us to truly decipher if they are entry ways or exit ways from other dimensions, but that is following string theory, which is slowly falling apart because of the mathematics.
-The multiverse theory states that there are 4 levels of universes, wach encompassing the other. The problem is that we can only see as far as light has travelled since the big bang, which is currently 4x10^26meters or 42 billion light years. So, even though the theory is primarily conjecture and it allows parallel universes to exist, the simplicity of the theory as it escalates is beautiful. Leaving our universe and entering the level 1 multiverse, we see the appearance of other universes with different initial conditions, necessary for life; moving on to the level 2 multiverse removes the need for physical restraints, such as certain laws of physics; the level 3 multiverse is really a step into probability in universes and not really existent; and finally, the level 4 multiverse removes the need to specify anything, thereby saying that anything is possible, and far more limitless than the imagination or even our current view of physics can handle.
-Thinking about this left me feeling small. Im Roman Catholic, so just imagine how big God is in this scheme of things?

Answer 2

There is no logical or physical problem with travelling into the future - all we need to do is perfect some freezing technology. There might be a technical and medical challenge there, but no paradox or physical impossibility exists. Travelling into the past is a different matter, and I believe that it's impossible for the following reasons: 1. It would invoke paradoxical situations 2. If it ever became possible, we would have been visited by others from the future... or we would have detected messages or SOMETHING from the future. So... travel to the future is a one-way trip. Much like life.

Answer 3

Time travel is a deceptive term. We travel through time each and every day. The problem is we only manage to go forward.

What people seem to want to do, is reverse the flow of time, and be able to change the past. Sorry, but I don't see that happening. Barring the existence of multiple universes existing parallel to our own, and instead believing our own universe to be the only universe, one might see some of the many pitfalls of time travel.

1) If you go back in time, and change the past, imagine the vast repercussions that your actions might have. Sure, you might have just peaked into the past, and in so doing sent some of the antibiotic resistant bacteria into the past. This bacteria grows, and kills off thousands of people. Think of the damage that would do to the present.

2) What if you went back in time to kill your own father before you were born. By killing him off then, he never fathered you, and thus you were never born. If you were never born, you could never have killed your father. Enter the concept of the "Paradox"

3) If we at some point in the future were able to travel to the past, the future people would already be here...

Answer 4

Quantum Physic calculations show us that we cannot ever travel in the future. However, past travel is possible right now with atoms. It's already been done.

Our entire physical being could not withstand past time travel or we would simply disintegrate. So, we are a long way off from ever figuring that out. Maybe with instruments to track things at the Quantum level we can have fun with that in the near future, we just won't be able to see the entire picture.

As far as traveling to other Universes by bending Space/Time, I can see that as an absolute possibility. We see how Space/Time does that by observing the Universe right now.

Can't wait to see other answers about this. It's a fun subject.

Answer 5

I hope true time travel doesn't become possible. I really don't think we're capable of dealing with that kind of power. Unfortunately, we tend to be pretty inventive creatures. I just hope when it does happen we've evolved intellectually and emotionally enough to handle it.

As to the mechanics of it, it could be anything. The 'easiest' theory would probably involve some type of 'worm hole' affect that directly links two points in space time. I really don't think it's something that could be done safely on the planet. Way to much energy involved.

If your talking about jumping to another universe, you're not really talking about time travel - maybe 'quantum realities' would be the best term for it.

Answer 6

Since no one from the future has ever visited us (that we know of) I guess we never manage to invent one that sends us back in time. The simplest form of time travel into the future would be to travel at near light speeds and then return to earth after a set duration. By the time you returned - even after only a ten year journey - all your relatives would be long dead, and you'd be in the "future" for all intents and purposes. Theoretically, you could travel thousands of years into the future this way.

Answer 7

Well how bout this...the only way to accomplish time travel is to get time to physically exist. Since time doesn't really exist only the consequences of time passing exist and are physical...you see people time traveling every day by doing plastic surgery or by traveling from 1 time zone to another...so if want to time travel you have to make something happen to restore the consequences of time passing by...Good Luck! Let me know if you succeed, I'll let you test it on me.

Answer 8

Yes, here is how you do it...

1) build a space ship
2) fly towards the sun at warp 11
3) circle around the sun in a time warp vortex
4) cut back to impulse power once the clock on the instrument panel moves backwards to the desired time.

Answer 9

Because time only flows in one direction (forward like a straight line) I don't see a way we could travel back in time. But it makes for good fiction doesn't it?

Answer 10

What I've read seems to indicate that each timeframe is a seperate frequecency. Some who have made such claims, claimed to have modified the frequency surrounding themselves. I'm not sure I'd believe it, but it makes for good reading.