I am here but i am also over there, can this be?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of whether a particle can exist in two different places at the same time and the implications for time travel. It explores theoretical perspectives from both Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, as well as philosophical considerations regarding the nature of time.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that Special Relativity allows for the observation of a particle in two places at once due to the relativity of simultaneity.
  • Others argue that it is impossible to view a particle in two locations simultaneously without exceeding the speed of light, referencing the average velocity of the particle.
  • There are claims regarding Quantum Mechanics suggesting that particles can exist in superposition, potentially allowing for a particle to be in two states at once, though this is contested.
  • Some participants assert that time travel to the future is a common occurrence, while time travel to the past is debated and not universally accepted as impossible.
  • One participant states that proving time travel is impossible does not require physics, arguing that time lacks measurable qualities.
  • Another participant challenges the notion that time travel is impossible, suggesting that literature does not definitively rule it out.
  • Concerns are raised about the validity of claims regarding experiments at the University of Colorado related to collapsing wave functions and their implications for particles existing in multiple locations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the possibility of time travel and the nature of particles in Quantum Mechanics. There is no consensus on whether time travel is possible or on the interpretation of Quantum Mechanics regarding particles existing in multiple locations.

Contextual Notes

Discussions include references to the implications of Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, but there are unresolved mathematical steps and assumptions regarding the nature of time and observation that participants have not fully clarified.

  • #31
Matter is energy. Glad I could answer that.

Time...that one indeed we cannot answer.

The equations of GR are not too difficult, just not easy.

As for your paradox, we cannot answer, hence why it is a paradox.
 
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  • #32
Originally posted by Andy
So its just aload of rubbish that people like to think makes sense even though it doesnt, just theories based upon other theories that we don't understand either.

I think some people may be confusing truth or essence with physical models. We have models that work. We have models that predict that time travel would occur given certain circumstances. I don't think any of modern physics is rubbish. In modern QM we have a model that work better than the sum of all that has come before. Do we have the right answers? I think no; but we don't know. That is your answer Andy; if anyone claims to know otherwise then they dismiss some of the greatest minds in science. The issue of time travel is one of controversy and is unresolved. We have found no absolute reason why we cannot travel forwards or backwards in time. We can only cite the many paradoxes and conundrums that seem to be implicit, and then continue to look for proof one way or the other. No one has ever suggested [to my knowledge] a time machine that could as yet actually be built. It could forever be a practical problem of having sufficient energy that makes time travel impossible.
 
  • #33
Personally, I think asking questions pertaining to 'what is time' and 'what is matter' are particularly prevelant to Physics. If we did not ask such questions, would we have ever discovered the quark? Now, who's to say if we'll ever find out what the answers to these questions are, but we have to keep asking, if for no other reason than the sake of asking tough questions.
 

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