Is it possible to travel in time? This is the question that physicists have been trying to solve for decades. But can an old Einstein theory of relativity shed more light on what has been so far in the realm of science fiction? Find out.
Is it possible to travel in time? We’ve all wondered this at least once in our lives. And it also remains one of the biggest mysteries for physicists to solve. From the popular media to scientific journals, many have tried to understand and explain this problem in their own way. Even Albert Einstein, the great physician, accepted the challenge of understanding how time works and wrote around him his general theory of relativity. In short, time travel is the most fascinating but confusing puzzle that exists. But if we look at the theory of relativity, it offers a small window to know if time travel is really possible or not. Keep reading to find out. Read also: The triumph of space! Photos of 4 brown dwarfs taken by a group of researchers
The challenges of time travel
All in all, there are two big challenges to proving whether this is possible or not. The first is technology. Even if a physicist proves that time travel is real based on a great equation, we would never know unless we can build a time-capable machine based on that equation. But to build the time machine first, we would probably need rare cosmic material and technology that we do not currently have access to. This is how technology has always grown. The theory comes first, and then, once the technology is achieved, the theories become reality. Virtual reality is a good example.
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The next and probably most important challenge for time travel is consistency. Consider this. Find a machine that can be used to travel through time. You used it and went back ten minutes in time. After reaching the past, you committed suicide. But now that you’ve killed yourself, you couldn’t find the time machine ten minutes later and travel to the past to kill yourself. In physics, this is called a paradox. And the paradox remains one of the biggest problems to be solved in time travel. Read also: This largest NASA spacecraft, Europa Clipper, will search for aliens on the Moon of Jupiter
Einstein shows the way to time travel
The idea of parallel universes has been around for a long time. From the string theory of physicist Michio Kaku to science fiction, we know what multiple dimensions and parallel universes are like. However, from a scientific perspective, taking another hypothetical concept to prove the hypothetical problem of time travel is not fair. That is why we consider the general theory of relativity as a solution to this. Einstein had popularly said that time is relative to the frame of reference of the observer. In a simplified way, it means that time is not something that exists but a point of reference. Thus, while some things like dough are constant and do not depend on the environment, the same does not apply to time.
And this is how this theory can explain the possibility of time travel. According to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is constant while time is only a reference. Also, the speed of light is the fastest that anything in the universe can move (according to our current knowledge). So based on this, a person traveling at the speed of light will experience time slower than others and in fact travel in the past compared to others.
A good example of this is astronaut Scott Kelly, who was born six minutes after his twin brother Mark. Scott now spent 520 days in space aboard the International Space Station moving around the Earth at a speed of 28,160 km / h. This actually led to the extension of time between the two brothers. At a roundtable, Mark said, “Well, where[as] It used to be only 6 minutes bigger, now I have 6 minutes and 5 milliseconds, “Space.com reported.