# Time travel
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [December 15, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850 "2002-12-15T04:53:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/1 "2002-12-15T04:53:02Z")
What are logical theory’s of time travel?
This is probably the most asked question, but if we were to learn how to do it why not go back in time and show people how to do it?
Apparently you could
What would you be using to time travel?
And any other questions I can’t think of…
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/2 "2002-12-15T06:31:04Z")
We can’t, because we didn’t. Or won’t. Or something.
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### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/3 "2002-12-15T08:00:09Z")
What I thought would always be neat, is an endless improving of the future, by going back to the past, giving them technology of the future, then when you could go back to the same time, and give them even better technology.
For example, if in 3000 we achieve time travel. Say we go back to 1980 and move give them knowledge and technology from 3000. Then, by the year 3000, we’ll be, let’s just say 3000 for simplicities sake, years advanced. So in the year 3000 we have year 6000 technology. Then, we go back to 1980 and give them year 6000 technology. Now in the year 3000 we have year 9000 technology. And so on.
I hope I made sense.
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### Author:  [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/4 "2002-12-15T08:37:40Z")
What, you’ve never heard of the Temporal Prime Directive? Jeez, people - if you’re going to time travel, obey the freakin’ rules!
Esprix
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### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/5 "2002-12-15T08:45:42Z")
I just said it would be neat, that’s all. And besides, some rules were made to be broken 🙂
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### Author:  [@starman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starman)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/6 "2002-12-15T11:14:40Z")
According to current theories, it is impossible to travel back in time to before the machine that allowed you to do so was created. Of course, all theories of time travel are fairly shaky and insubstantial to start with.
-Oli
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### Author:  [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/7 "2002-12-15T14:40:48Z")
Two books on time travel that I highly recommend are:
The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold
and
Thrice Upon A Time by James P. Hogan
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### Author:  [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/8 "2002-12-15T15:28:20Z")
Theoretically, one could create a quantum bubble type thing which would allow you to move forward in time and backwards in time (but not before the time you built the machine). Of course, this being quantum we don’t have the technology to even come close to being able to do some experiments. Maybe never will.
But theoretically, its possible.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/9 "2002-12-15T15:34:56Z")
Of course, time travel in and of itself is only half of the problem that needs to be addressed. The other half? Staying put!
Let’s say you manage to travel back or forward in time a mere five minutes. In that five minutes the Earth has spun on it’s axis, the Earth has continued to revolve around our sun, our solar system has moved within our galaxy, the galaxy has both expanded and moved outward, and so on and so on. So you tell me where exactly you will end up if you travel in time a mere five minutes?
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### Author:  [@B.Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Pants)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/10 "2002-12-15T15:51:01Z")
If you’re interested in time travel, watch _Donnie Darko_. It doesn’t exactly _explain_ time travel, but it does a hell of a job demonstrating it and some of the paradoxes involved.
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### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/11 "2002-12-15T17:07:19Z")
I’ve heard, and I think it’s safe to say everyone else who’s posted has heard, all or most of the paradoxes that would exist with time travel.
And as for the theory, I’ve seen several different theories on how to do it. I can’t specifically recall them right now because it’s been years since I’ve read about time travel. But theoretically, there’s more than one way.
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### Author:  [@B.Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Pants)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/12 "2002-12-15T17:10:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Joel \*
> \*\*I’ve heard, and I think it’s safe to say everyone else who’s posted has heard, all or most of the paradoxes that would exist with time travel.
> \*\*
Yup, learned it all in Time Travel 101, I bet. Required at most major universities, dontcha know.
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/13 "2002-12-15T17:10:49Z")
There is only one credible time travel theory, which has to do with wormholes. But it is only very theoritical as it requires large mounts of exotic matter. I’ll try and dig up the paper.
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/14 "2002-12-15T18:05:35Z")
Is exotic matter anything like exotic dancing? If so, where can I get some? Is it legal?
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/15 "2002-12-15T20:35:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by elucidator \*
> \*\*Is exotic matter anything like exotic dancing? If so, where can I get some? Is it legal? \*\*
Topless Black Holes!! No Cover Charge!!
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### Author:  [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/16 "2002-12-15T20:44:03Z")
**MC Master** : IANAP by any stretch, but isn’t wormhole theory about travelling vast distances in space in a very short time, rather than time travel itself? Of course, I’m probably completely wrong, but I thought it was about “folding space” so that two seperate points in space could be linked somehow.
Oh yeah, **Czarcasm** , count me in on the XXX Live Girl Action!
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### Author:  [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/17 "2002-12-15T21:37:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Czarcasm \*
> \*\*Topless Black Holes!! No Cover Charge!! \*\*
NAKED singularities! All day, all nite!
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/18 "2002-12-15T21:44:21Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by samarm \*
> \*\ ***MC Master** : IANAP by any stretch, but isn’t wormhole theory about travelling vast distances in space in a very short time, rather than time travel itself? Of course, I’m probably completely wrong, but I thought it was about “folding space” so that two seperate points in space could be linked somehow.
>
> Oh yeah, **Czarcasm** , count me in on the XXX Live Girl Action! \*\*
Yes, but if you have one end of the wormhole travelling close to the speed of light what you get is basically a time machine.
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### Author:  [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/19 "2002-12-15T21:49:04Z")
Hmm… interesting [scratches chin thoughtfully]… so has this actually been done, or is it still at the theoretical stage?
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel/142850/20 "2002-12-15T21:52:30Z")
O, it’s dependant on huge amounts of negative energy, which can be produced on a tiny scale but it requires the discovery of ‘exotic matter’ to produce it before it becomes in anyway plausible.
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