Can Time Travel Reveal Tasks Before Completion?

In summary, it is possible to learn whether a task performed in the future had occurred before it had been performed if you send someone ten minutes into the future and watch as they perform the task.
  • #1
mgsully
2
0
About Me: I am not a physics student, but I do have a physics question.

Question: The question is, assuming it is possible to travel into the future: could it be possible to learn whether a task performed in the future had occurred before it had been performed?

Theory:
You are capable of sending a person ten minutes into the future to perform a given task. Normally you would have to wait ten minutes to see whether or not that task had been performed, right? However, if at the exact same time you sent a second person into the future, only this time it was nine minutes. When the second person saw that the task had been completed, they were to raise a flag above their head. The second person sent nine minutes would only have to wait one minute to see if the task had been completed and thus, we would only have to wait nine minutes to see if the second person sent had confirmed that the task done by the person sent one minute farther into the future had been done.

Carrying this onward, let's send another person eight minutes into the future, and a forth seven minutes, and so on. With ten people sent into the future, each a minute apart, but each sent at the exact same time. Would not each person be waiting the same, single minute to see what the person sent one minute farther in time was doing? Therefor, would we only have to wait one minute to see if the person sent one minute into the future had a flag raised over there head, since they only waited the same, single minute to see if the person sent one minute farther into the future had done the same, and so on?

Theoretically, we could learn shortly after one minute whether or not a task performed nine minutes later had been completed.
 
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  • #2
mgsully said:
The second person sent nine minutes would only have to wait one minute to see if the task had been completed and thus, we would only have to wait nine minutes to see if the second person sent had confirmed that the task done by the person sent one minute farther into the future had been done.

This is where your mistake is. You forgot to add the 1-minute.
Thus, 9+1=10
 
  • #3
Yeah, it later occurred to me that even though they were each only waiting one minute, and waiting that one minute at the exact same time, that they were different minutes - each sequentially spread apart, consecutively across a ten minute period of time...

Thank though.
 

1. Can we really travel through time?

Currently, time travel is only possible in theory. While some scientists believe it is possible through certain phenomena like wormholes or black holes, there is currently no technology or evidence to support the idea of time travel.

2. Is it possible to travel back in time and change the past?

According to the theory of relativity, traveling back in time would create paradoxes and alter the course of events, making it impossible to change the past. Additionally, our understanding of causality suggests that altering the past would create a ripple effect and change the present and future as well.

3. If time travel is possible, could we visit the future?

Similar to traveling to the past, the concept of traveling to the future is also based on theoretical possibilities. Some theories suggest that time dilation could allow for time travel to the future, but it would require traveling at speeds close to the speed of light. However, the exact implications and consequences of traveling to the future are still unknown.

4. How would we know if time travel has been achieved?

If time travel were to become possible, it would likely require a significant technological and scientific breakthrough. This would need to be supported by extensive testing and research to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Additionally, any evidence of successful time travel would likely need to be verified by multiple sources before it can be deemed as a real achievement.

5. What are the potential implications of time travel?

Time travel raises many ethical and philosophical questions, such as the possibility of altering the course of history and the consequences of changing the past. It could also have major impacts on our understanding of reality and cause confusion and chaos in society. It is important to carefully consider the potential implications before pursuing time travel technology.

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