Time Travel & Theory of Relativity for HS Students

In summary, the person is looking for a book that they read in high school about the theory of relativity and time travel. They are not sure if the book is called Mallet's book or Prof Sander Bais' book, but they are pretty sure it is not either of those two. The book would have been published before 2009-2010, used frames of reference, and was aimed at high school students.
  • #1
ScienceMan
12
1
Hey guys I have an issue I was wondering if you could help me with. There was a book in my high school library about the theory of relativity and time travel. I'm trying to find it again but the fact that I don't have a title for it is making things difficult. (For the record I'm long graduated from the school so asking the librarian isn't an option). I was wondering if anyone here would know the book.

The book seemed to be aimed at high school students. It discussed the possibility of time travel both forwards and backwards (I don't remember what it said about backwards). I'm pretty sure it discussed mass changes as the speed of light approaches as well. Tachyons are discussed in the backwards time travel part. The book has equations in it but the math was pretty simple. Nothing higher than algebra 2 math. Imaginary numbers were used, but I don't quite remember how. It might have been imaginary mass for faster than light stuff. Anyway, that's what I know about the book. It seemed to be pretty low level, just a friendly guide for a high school student. The book would have had to have been published before 2009-2010ish. Oh, and it also uses frames of reference a lot. If anyone knows a book that fits that description it would be great because I've been trying to find that book for a while now.
 
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  • #3
Thank you. Very Special Relativity: An Illustrated Guide might be it. I'll look for that. I'll probably only know for sure once I open it and read it myself.
 

1. What is the Theory of Relativity?

The Theory of Relativity is a scientific theory developed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. It is divided into two parts: Special Relativity and General Relativity. Special Relativity explains how the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion, while General Relativity explains the force of gravity and how it affects the fabric of space and time.

2. How does Time Dilation work?

Time Dilation is a phenomenon predicted by the Theory of Relativity. It states that time moves slower for objects that are moving at high speeds or in strong gravitational fields. This means that the faster an object moves or the closer it is to a massive object, the slower time will pass for that object compared to a stationary observer.

3. Can we really travel through time?

According to the Theory of Relativity, time travel is possible in some scenarios. However, it would require extremely advanced technology and the ability to travel at speeds close to the speed of light. Additionally, the concept of causality states that an effect cannot occur before its cause, so traveling to the past may not be possible.

4. What is the Twin Paradox?

The Twin Paradox is a thought experiment that illustrates the effects of time dilation. It involves two identical twins, one of whom stays on Earth while the other travels into space at high speeds. When the traveling twin returns, they would have aged less than the twin who stayed on Earth, demonstrating the concept of time dilation.

5. How does the concept of space-time affect time travel?

The Theory of Relativity states that space and time are intertwined and make up the fabric of the universe, known as space-time. This means that any changes in space, such as gravity or acceleration, can affect the passage of time. In order to successfully travel through time, one would need to understand and manipulate space-time in order to control the rate at which time passes.

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