If I go backwards in time, the theories are that I would meet a past me, because it is like writing in a book, it's already been written. However if I go forward in time, would I meed my future self, or would I be unwritten so to speak in that time as I have made my pen skip forward to the next page?
Basically, do we already exist in the future like we already have in the past? Any theories for this?
2007-03-28 04:55:53 · 8 answers · asked by Luis 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Firstly you are already travelling forwards in time. At the rate of 1 second per second.
OK, that wasn't what you meant. But it is very easy to travel forwards in time quicker than everyone else. Simply travel really fast, and time will slow down for you, so while you think a couple of seconds have passed, years may have gone by for everything you left behind. This has been experimentaly demonstrated - GPS locators need to take it into account, and if you cross the atlantic in a plane you will jump forwrads in time by about a nanosecond.
So, will you be able to meet yourself? The answer is no... not unless you find a way of travelling backwards through time. The problem is that if you leave our universe at breakfast time, and come back at tea time, then you don't exist during the day - you've skipped that bit out, so when you come back at tea time, you are not there to meet yourself. If you see what I mean.
In order to have a meal with yourself you would need to go forwards in time, eat, and then go back in time again and reach dinner time the long way round. So we are back in a situation where the past is already written.
2007-03-28 05:13:53 · answer #1 · answered by robcraine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are talking scifi here. There are no verifiable theories that propose time travel into the past. String "theory" suggests some outlandish schemes (worm holes for example), but this is not a verifiable theory; it's more a philosophy (scifi) than a theory. And if string theory ever becomes a true theory, the energies required to create a worm hole (let alone survive one) are beyond current and postulated technologies. (anti matter energy is not feasible on a large scale)
One verifiable theory (of relativity) does suggest that, if you had the available energy to accelerate close to the speed of light, you and your craft would age much slower than things on Earth would. Thus, when you returned from your near-light speed experience, more time would have passed on Earth than in your craft. The amount of additional time passed would put you into your future by that amount and that differential depends solely on how close to light speed you got and how long you tooled around in your craft according to your craft's time.
Clearly you will not see yourself in the future on Earth because you were in the craft all along. And travel to the past is infeasible; so you won't see yourself there either.
2007-03-28 05:19:43 · answer #2 · answered by oldprof 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at it thus: Time is a dimension, like the 3 spatial dimensions. you represent a line drawn along it. If you go to any point along that dimension, you will encounter the line that represents you. This does suggest that you do not in fact, possess any free will, and that it's just an illusion. Then again, there may be an infinite number of concurrent futures. But even if that's so, the mechanism by which any particular one is selected as being 'the' future, is not clear.
2007-03-28 05:15:31 · answer #3 · answered by Ian I 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the faster you travel the slower time flows for you. if you reach the speed of light time would stop flowing. so if you traveled at the speed of light for, let's say 50 years you would be 0 seconds older, and when you come back you will find out that everyone you know is a lot older than you.
2007-03-29 03:34:53 · answer #4 · answered by neutron 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you would just go to the future, then no, you cannot meet yourself, since there is only one of you, and you are not on the time line when you left it. however, if you went back and forth, then maybe you could meet yourself - but then that would be the past for at least one of your "selves".
2007-03-28 05:03:44 · answer #5 · answered by Zachi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't think you would meet a future you..
I don't believe backward time travel is possible...
2007-03-28 05:00:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
first of all....they should discover a way to go to the future!
2007-03-28 04:59:51 · answer #7 · answered by fullmental 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
watch the movie "Frequency" it will give you all the answers
2007-03-28 05:36:41 · answer #8 · answered by impromptu_57 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋