Theory backwards time travel

[Mithril_Ian]

Ok, im not sure this has already been posted or what, but if it hasnt, then let us call this the, "Theory of loopiness!".

Lets just assume that backwards time travel is posible, and that you went back in time to, lets say, fix your car. Well, its all well and good, and you fix it and Zap yourself back into the future. However, there is one thing that is wrong with this picture! If, in the past, your car was already fixed, then there would be no need to go back in time to fix it, forever sending you in a loop between past and future, never ending.

A way around this however, is you could tell your past self when you left to fix his car in the future, and simply go back to the future knowing that your past self will remember what to do. Of course you would already know if he was succesful or not, as it has already happened...

However, this is only a minor situation, lets say you went to the past and killed your grandfather or someone that was essential to you being born. Then, you would never exist. However, then who killed your grandfather? You did, of course, but wait, you never even exiseted in the first place!But that would mean seince your grandfather was never killed, you WOULD exist! That would basicly send you into a never ending loop, unless someone intercepted.

Its probly been thought up alredy, but just in case...

 

[Demsys]

Hurrah for the paradox.



Just as well you can't go back in time to before your time machine was switched on, thankfully.!

 

[CmnderData]

Yeah, I was reading the book, "The Universe In A Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking, and he kind of mentioned this, how you would not have free will if you traveled into the past. Interesting stuff.

 

[Blair]

Im thinking its easy to go backwards less friction. but what would i know?

later.

 

[Time_Traveller]

well forthe time being I do not think humans can go backward in time taking today's technology into account, but it is theoretically possible, but then anything is theoretically possible /ttiforum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

going bacward in time and not changing anything do not seem plausable. if you are physically there, then your actions must have effects, too. well maybe you will be an invisible human, like a ghost.

one possible way out of this could be that you can only go wackward in alternative timelines but not your own. then if yo kill your grandfather there, it will not affect your own time line. (I do not think there are numerous timelines as theorized, in each of which you make a different decision.)