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Perceiving time travel
May. 2nd, 2008 05:15 pmBear with me on this. I'm trying to visualize how time travel would look to the time traveler and to a non-time-traveling bystander. Any comments would be appreciated.
Imagine that an aspiring time traveler gets into a time machine which can travel back and forth through time without changing it's geographic location. Also imagine that our time traveler takes a clock into the time machine with him/her and that there is a clock sitting outside the time machine in a location where it can be seen by the traveler.
At the moment, it seems to me that if our traveler gets into the machine and travels forward in time (into the future), they'll feel as though they're just sitting there while the world outside the time machine moves in fast forward and the clock that is sitting outside the time machine would seem to turn rapidly. To an observer outside the time machine, the time traveler would seem to be just sitting there nearly immobile and the clock that is inside the time machine would seem to be running quite slow (until the time machine reaches it's destination).
If our time traveler gets into the machine, travels into the past, and gets out of the machine in the past, it would seem to them that activities outside the time machine go into reverse (the clock outside the machine seems to turn backwards) until they reach their destination and get out, at which point everything would seem normal. To a bystander, it would seem as though they got into the time machine and then vanished when the machine was turned on. (Since they get out in the past, they are no longer in the machine once they have departed) However, it will also seem to the bystander as though the time traveler has been in the time machine for the entire interval between the point where they got out of the time machine (in our past) and the point when they got into it (in our present). Once they get out of the time machine (in our past) the time traveler will seem to be simultaneously sitting in the time machine (returning from the future) and doing things outside the time machine. The clock that is in the machine would seem to turn backwards while in transit as long as it is removed from the time machine when the time traveler arrives in the past.
If our time traveler gets into the time machine wearing a red hat, travels into the past, changes to a blue hat, and returns to the present, it will seem to the bystander as though the time traveler has been in the time machine for the entire interval between the point where they changed (in our past) and the point when they got into it (in our present). They will seem to have been wearing a hat that it both red and blue (or that is purple?) until they return to our present and get out of the machine, at which point they will be wearing a blue hat. The clock in the time machine will seem (to a bystander) to turn both forward and backwards simultaneously but when the time traveler gets out of the time machine in our present, it will show the correct time and operate normally.
What do you think so far?
Imagine that an aspiring time traveler gets into a time machine which can travel back and forth through time without changing it's geographic location. Also imagine that our time traveler takes a clock into the time machine with him/her and that there is a clock sitting outside the time machine in a location where it can be seen by the traveler.
At the moment, it seems to me that if our traveler gets into the machine and travels forward in time (into the future), they'll feel as though they're just sitting there while the world outside the time machine moves in fast forward and the clock that is sitting outside the time machine would seem to turn rapidly. To an observer outside the time machine, the time traveler would seem to be just sitting there nearly immobile and the clock that is inside the time machine would seem to be running quite slow (until the time machine reaches it's destination).
If our time traveler gets into the machine, travels into the past, and gets out of the machine in the past, it would seem to them that activities outside the time machine go into reverse (the clock outside the machine seems to turn backwards) until they reach their destination and get out, at which point everything would seem normal. To a bystander, it would seem as though they got into the time machine and then vanished when the machine was turned on. (Since they get out in the past, they are no longer in the machine once they have departed) However, it will also seem to the bystander as though the time traveler has been in the time machine for the entire interval between the point where they got out of the time machine (in our past) and the point when they got into it (in our present). Once they get out of the time machine (in our past) the time traveler will seem to be simultaneously sitting in the time machine (returning from the future) and doing things outside the time machine. The clock that is in the machine would seem to turn backwards while in transit as long as it is removed from the time machine when the time traveler arrives in the past.
If our time traveler gets into the time machine wearing a red hat, travels into the past, changes to a blue hat, and returns to the present, it will seem to the bystander as though the time traveler has been in the time machine for the entire interval between the point where they changed (in our past) and the point when they got into it (in our present). They will seem to have been wearing a hat that it both red and blue (or that is purple?) until they return to our present and get out of the machine, at which point they will be wearing a blue hat. The clock in the time machine will seem (to a bystander) to turn both forward and backwards simultaneously but when the time traveler gets out of the time machine in our present, it will show the correct time and operate normally.
What do you think so far?
