If I were to travel forward in time, trillions upon trillions of years, through big crunches and big bangs, through trillions of big crunches and big bangs, through enough time to allow for every possible variation of each incarnation of the Universe with each minute detailed differences, to a near "infinite" amount of time, could I end up at a place that is exactly the same, with all the same variables, including my departure?
Basically, could I travel far enough forward, that I would end up back to where I started?
And yes this is theoretical speculation, so I don't need jackassy answers. I know I can't do it, I'm just wondering if it's conceivable.
2007-03-27 10:32:22 · 5 answers · asked by Luis 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Another way to ask is, does space repeat when time moves forward infinitely?
2007-03-27 10:38:52 · update #1
Just wanted to add that this is theory, so in this magical theory land I can travel forward for a long enough time to see this.
2007-03-27 12:24:20 · update #2
The answer is already found in your question. You've already stated the impossibility of it. If you "ended up back to where you started", then that means you've "returned" to a state which is IDENTICAL to the one you orginated from. So, let's imagine that you're in a time machine, and you don't know what to expect of your stupendous journey through time, and after such a such a mind-boggling trip you ended up back to where you were, if you even REMEMBER any of it, it's not the same place as it was any more! Thus, it's not a true cycle!
2007-03-27 15:29:10 · answer #1 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would be true only if the universes shrinks back again and start a new bigbang and everything repeats itself exactly the same as happened with this present universe.
If you could be some place where you can see all that, then maybe you will see a copy of yourself posting this question in this web site.
But if you could I think you would be GOD and if you were GOD then you should know the answer to that question.
2007-03-27 17:52:03 · answer #2 · answered by tontin1970 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From my understanding of physics, time moves forward as if a 'stream' was flowing. Once you are on the forward motion, I don't understand how you can go back from there. Are you theoretically speaking about the 'end of time?' --because that's what it sounds like.
You would probably be dead before you could go that far ahead in time. Remember, your body is still aging normally through time. Even if you were in H.G. Wells Time Machine (theoretically speaking) you couldn't go far enough ahead to conceivably 'go to the end of time', because I think once you hit the end of time, you would also cease to exist as all matter supposedly will in the distant future. So if you went far enough ahead, you would simply cease to exist, I think.
So, I don't think time is circular; in other words, Once you start forward in time, you can't go backwards to where you started.
As to the matter of going backwards in history:
It's interesting to note that Einstein's Theory of Relativity postulated that if you were to go faster than the speed of light and go backwards in time, you would return to your present time immediately upon slowing down.
In other words, you can't get there from here!
I'm glad I could answer this without giving you any 'jackass' answers, but I don't know if they are 100% right!
LOL
2007-03-27 17:48:00 · answer #3 · answered by vgordon_90 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmmmm, that is a very good question. Unfortunately, I don't think I am smart enough to say if it could actually happen.
But, you just said is it conceivable, which means capable of being conceived, which means to apprehend by reason or imagination. So technically, yes, it is "conceivable".
2007-03-27 17:44:14 · answer #4 · answered by marydrew841 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, time is linear, not circular. Everything only happens once.
2007-03-27 17:40:17 · answer #5 · answered by MajorTom © 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋