🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <VLaoiB3w164w@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us> arnold@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us (Jonathan Hefler) writes:
>Hi, I am looking to discuss theories of Time Travel and Quantum 
>Mechanics. I am not well versed in Quantum Mechanic lingo, but if anyone 
>would like to discuss Time Travel, please write to me. Thanx.
>
>-----
>Jonathan Hefler, Princeton High School BBS
>DNS: arnold@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us      UUCP: ...!princeton!phsbbs!arnold
>Disclaimer: Author bears full responsibility for this message.

To: arnold@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us
Subject: Re: TIME TRAVEL
Newsgroups: sci.misc
In-Reply-To: <VLaoiB3w164w@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us>
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Cc: 
Bcc: 

I have no credentials as a scientist (for the time being) but I'll talk
about time travel.  Time travel into the future is pretty easy.  Just 
travel near the speed of light and the time going by on Earth is greater
than the time you experience, and so you can travel 10,000 years into
the future if you go fast enough.

Time travel into the past is more difficult.  Problems arise when you
try to change the past or know the future.  Suppose you're hanging
around some lab where the time of decay of an atom is measured.
The time it takes to decay is random; no one should be able to predict 
it.  Suppose it decays after 29 seconds.  Then, a month later
you climb into your time machine, go back in time, and see the same
demonstration.  You shouldn't be able to predict when that atom
decomposes.  Quantum mechanics is not deterministic.  What I imagine
would happen is that you the decay time wouldn't be exactly 29 seconds.
In other words, the universe takes a different branch, becoming an 
alternate universe, and everything would end up different.  The number
of things that happen one way or the other is incredibly large, so
the chance that you could get back home again goes to zero.

I think that's the only way time travel into the past can be consistent
with the laws of physics.