No seriously; Can we, maybe, go to the past?

  • Context: Undergrad 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of time travel, specifically the possibility of traveling to the future and returning to the past to share experiences. Participants explore both theoretical and practical aspects of time travel, referencing scientific theories and paradoxes associated with the topic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the feasibility of traveling to the future and returning to the past, emphasizing a desire for scientific perspectives rather than science fiction.
  • Another participant mentions various mathematical theories suggesting time travel might be possible, but notes practical physical concerns, such as energy requirements, that hinder realization.
  • There is a reference to ongoing research into signaling devices that could potentially allow messages to be sent back in time, even if full time travel is not achievable.
  • A participant humorously suggests a personal scenario involving sabotaging their parents' relationship if given the chance to travel to the past, indicating the complexity of human interactions and paradoxes related to time travel.
  • Another participant acknowledges the complexity of human behavior in the context of time travel paradoxes and points to literature that discusses similar issues, including technical references for further exploration.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the possibility of time travel, with some proposing theoretical frameworks while others highlight practical limitations. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing perspectives on the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the complexity of modeling human behavior in time travel scenarios and reference specific technical literature that may contain unresolved mathematical or theoretical steps related to the discussion.

Spirit
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Hello everyone,

Perhaps it has been asked many times in the past, so please forgive me, and I appreciate your effort in helping me;

In simple words: Can someone travel to point A the future, sees something, then come back to a certain point 'B' that is considered in the past of point A, and tells people what has happened there.

I know there is a lot of science fiction about it, but I really want to know what real science speaks about it.

[For example, 2+2=5 will never happen, no matter how advanced science will reach, I think. Since it's bounded to logic, too...etc]
 
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I'm not an expert, but there are various mathematical theories that say that time-travel is possible, but those are not realizable because of physical concerns like practical generation of energy required.

There are some people looking into building signaling devices, so that even if you couldn't go back in time as a whole you might be able to send a message back in time. Try looking into the laser time-machine thread also in this forum.
 
If I get a chance to go to the past, I'll be sure to sabatoge the romantic relationship between my mother and father (i wouldn't want to kill them, but that would be a method of doing it) and see what happens.
 
rbj said:
If I get a chance to go to the past, I'll be sure to sabatoge the romantic relationship between my mother and father (i wouldn't want to kill them, but that would be a method of doing it) and see what happens.

The literature does discuss this issue somewhat, but of course human beings are too complex to model with physics. Similar paradoxes can be set up with billiard balls, however. A good (though technical) place to start is

http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v44/i4/p1077_1
 

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