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Gram_Stone comments on Crazy Ideas Thread - Less Wrong Discussion

22 Post author: Gunnar_Zarncke 07 July 2015 09:40PM

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Comment author: John_Maxwell_IV 09 July 2015 06:52:56AM 4 points [-]

One thing I've never seen people mention re: time travel is that if you travel back in time six months, say, you'll find yourself floating out in space with the Earth on the other side of the Sun. (The Sun is in a slow orbit around the Milky Way, which itself is moving, right?) So practical time travel also requires practical space travel?

Comment author: Gram_Stone 09 July 2015 06:27:01PM *  3 points [-]

That seems like a magical sort of time travel; the sort that is conceivable but unphysical; a garbage in, garbage out type-deal. I'd echo Viliam's remark on no absolute reference frames. I think it helps to imagine how you might actually, physically perform time travel. I usually see it suggested that one create a wormhole and accelerate one of the mouths. Time dilation will cause an observer in the reference frame of the accelerated mouth to experience less subjective time. Travel through the stationary mouth, and you'll apparently come out of the accelerated mouth at an earlier moment in time. No magic involved.