Crystal Ball of Time

DeletedUser

Alright, before responding I opted to look into what your'e talking about, and I came to the conclusion you're posing absolutes, which is fine for practical physics, but not fine for theoretical physics. The argument is an absolutist one, based on observation, not theoretical models. Physicists speak, for the most part, in absolute terms to lay persons when describing what is presently understood to be possible, but the nature of theoretical physics is to examine the laws as we know them, as well as what we don't know about them, and coming to hypothetical models that work within the constraints of what we know, as well as what may work outside of those constraints.

The existing models for traveling faster than the speed of light, or warping ahead of light traveling across the universe, are hypothetical. The theory of a light barrier, and of the boundaries of the universe, are theoretical, as are the theories surrounding tachyons, string fields, quantum fields, Alcubierre drives and traversable wormholes. So, presenting it as an absolute is simply not a good argument to denounce what has already been presented in these hypothetical discussions.

In this discussion we have two parts: One is practical, and the other is hypothetical. Practical in regards to developing the telescoping or electromagnetic receiving units to precisely examine data received from vast distances. Hypothetical in regards to examining just how it may be possible to traverse either faster than light, ahead of the light via space-time distortion, or other means.

Dirty Laundry, you are closing out hypothetical debate with an absolute. That's fine for lay examination, but falls short of the standards imposed in theoretical physics. There are quite a few models that demonstrate how ftl or space-time may be possible, and it is in these models this discussion fits. It is simply a short order to dismiss them for failing to satisfy particular limits imposed by the light-barrier, expanding universe theoretical model.

In short, one hypothesis does not trump another, one theory does not trump another. Laws, however, can trump models, although only as long as those laws are deemed valid. As it presently stands, what you presented is a theory which, if valid, trumps ftl travel, but does not impose a restriction on warp (space-time distortion) travel.

Respectfully, some theories are more grounded in stated understandings of what is presently viewed as reasonably possible. But absolutism is not in the realm of theoretical physics, it's in the realm of lay presentation to non-physicists.
 
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DeletedUser9470

I have just read this thread and find relativity and time fascinating, i however have never managed to grasp how timetravel was possible.
we would be able to see the past for sure by travelling faster than light... we would then be seing light particles that we have overtaken. and thus if we overtake light particles that started travelling millions of years ago...
but i still dont understand how the physical travel wouldhappen, either way, to the past or the future.
time for me is continuous and by that therefore cannot be altered, and if altered how would we keep our own time the same?
if we slow earth time down how do we still keep our own time the same? beause we wouldnt know that we have changed thespeed of time as we would be living it just the same, in slow mo or fast forward...
so going beyond slowing time down and stopping it totally and rewinding it, or fast forwarding it still seems impossible.
have i missed something essentially basic?
can anyone help me in undestanding?
 

DeletedUser

The idea here is just to "see" into the past. It is not time travel in the sense that you will be able to alter the past.

Think of this as recording an event on video, and then later watching the playback. You can see what happened, but you cannot alter the events.

Time is not slowed down to achieve this. The travel is just sped up. Thus time continues as normal.
 

DeletedUser

Aye, well said ir.ufis. When we look up at the stars, we aren't seeing the stars as they are today, but as they were hundreds, thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years ago, because light is not instantaneous. It takes time for light to travel from point A to point B. We're seeing the light that was released by those stars ages ago, just now reaching us and thus giving us a glimpse of what the universe looked like.

We do not see the universe as it is, but as it was.
 

DeletedUser11019

me >*--------line of light------------------*< star

the distance between you and the star is so great ,,that it takes time for the light to travel from one point to the next...
so when it first reaches you,,its like starting a tape record,,following the stream on light from start, as it plays,,years and years ago

your actually looking into the past.

and further more on that,,the star could have exploded,,and long gone,,yet we would only know much much later,,as that fragment of light reaches us.
 
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DeletedUser10480

Hellstrom, this isn't the "Layman's version". This is the only version. That's just absolutely the way the cookie crumbles. Got to love those cookies.
 

DeletedUser

Hellstrom, this isn't the "Layman's version". This is the only version. That's just absolutely the way the cookie crumbles. Got to love those cookies.
Yeah, you know DL, without your providing evidence in support of your absolute, there really is no point in debating.
 

DeletedUser10480

Sure, ask me what links you need and to what universities. I could take time out of my day.
 
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