[net.movies] Back to the Future paradoxes

upstill@ucbvax.ARPA (Steve Upstill) (08/09/85)

   I don't know why all you people are spending so much effort trying to
iron out time-travel paradoxes, when it is such a ludicrous idea in the 
first place.  Why do I say this?  Consider the fact that whenever anyone
jumps through time in any time-travel scenario I've ever heard of, they
wind up in the exact same location as they left, IN RELATIVE SPACE.
That is, Marty winds up in the same earthly location he left, when every
nurd worth his keyboard knows that the Earth is spinning at 25000 miles
an hour, flying around the sun, which is spinning around the galaxy, etc.
Marty should be out in space somewhere!
   (sorry, I'm excluding The Time Tunnel, where the heroes always landed
in exactly the spot appropriate for the time they were landing in, i.e.
Philadelphia in 1776)

Steve Upstill

steve@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Steve Holtsberg) (08/11/85)

In article <9793@ucbvax.ARPA> upstill@ucbvax.UUCP (Steve Upstill) writes:
>
>   I don't know why all you people are spending so much effort trying to
>iron out time-travel paradoxes, when it is such a ludicrous idea in the 
>first place.  Why do I say this?  Consider the fact that whenever anyone
>jumps through time in any time-travel scenario I've ever heard of, they
>wind up in the exact same location as they left, IN RELATIVE SPACE.
>That is, Marty winds up in the same earthly location he left, when every
>nurd worth his keyboard knows that the Earth is spinning at 25000 miles
>an hour, flying around the sun, which is spinning around the galaxy, etc.
>Marty should be out in space somewhere!
>   (sorry, I'm excluding The Time Tunnel, where the heroes always landed
>in exactly the spot appropriate for the time they were landing in, i.e.
>Philadelphia in 1776)
>
>Steve Upstill

I think you're dead wrong.  Time and space are two different dimensions.
If you travel through time, you SHOULD end up in exactly the same spot
you were in "before" you left.

friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) (08/14/85)

In article <2243@sdcrdcf.UUCP> steve@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Steve Holtsberg) writes:
>
>I think you're dead wrong.  Time and space are two different dimensions.
>If you travel through time, you SHOULD end up in exactly the same spot
>you were in "before" you left.

	Actually, that was *exactly* his point! The problem is that
the Earth would still be millions of miles away from that same spot
since the Earth *moves*. Thus he would be in the same place floating
in empty space, and he would have to wait 30 years for the Earth to
get there!
-- 

				Sarima (Stanley Friesen)

{trwrb|allegra|cbosgd|hplabs|ihnp4|aero!uscvax!akgua}!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen
or {ttdica|quad1|bellcore|scgvaxd}!psivax!friesen

ee161bep@sdcc3.UUCP (Paul Van de Graaf) (08/16/85)

In article <2243@sdcrdcf.UUCP> steve@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Steve Holtsberg) writes:
>In article <9793@ucbvax.ARPA> upstill@ucbvax.UUCP (Steve Upstill) writes:
>>That is, Marty winds up in the same earthly location he left, when every
>>nurd worth his keyboard knows that the Earth is spinning at 25000 miles
>>an hour, flying around the sun, which is spinning around the galaxy, etc.
>>Marty should be out in space somewhere!
>>...
>>Steve Upstill
>
>I think you're dead wrong.  Time and space are two different dimensions.
>If you travel through time, you SHOULD end up in exactly the same spot
>you were in "before" you left.

Which same spot???  The spot relative to the center of the universe, galaxy,
sun, earth, etc. ?  The universe is expanding, the milky way is spinning, the
earth is orbiting the sun, the earth is spinning on its axis... etc.  If this
spot moves in respect to time then a time machine must also be a space travel
machine. 

Perhaps this is hinted at in the movie, ie. that's why the Delorean get so cold
when it re-enters from time travel.  As Khan said, "It's very cold in space...". 
Let's not get too analytical, say to yourself "It's only a movie... It's only
a movie... It's only a movie..." then drink 2 pan-galactic gargle-blasters and
send me mail in the morning.

Cheers,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|"The Milliard Gargantubrain at Maxi-Megalon?  | Deep Thought -The Hitchhiker's|
| A mere abacus... mention it not."	       |            Guide to the Galaxy|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Paul van de Graaf	   sdcsvax!sdcc3!ee161bep	  U. C. San Diego      |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (08/16/85)

> I think you're dead wrong.  Time and space are two different dimensions.
> If you travel through time, you SHOULD end up in exactly the same spot
> you were in "before" you left.

OK. So how do you define "the same spot"?
-- 
	Peter da Silva (the mad Australian werewolf)
		UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter
		MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076

peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (08/19/85)

> 	Actually, that was *exactly* his point! The problem is that
> the Earth would still be millions of miles away from that same spot
> since the Earth *moves*. Thus he would be in the same place floating
> in empty space, and he would have to wait 30 years for the Earth to
> get there!

So how do you know it doesn't do something magic to deal with that? Actually
there's a good rationalisation of that: since gravity effects percieved time,
and the flux capacitor takes advantage of this fact (assumption), then there
is no reason it can't throw you around in time so long as you stay in the
same place relative to the nearest large mass. Not so?
-- 
	Peter da Silva (the mad Australian werewolf)
		UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter
		MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076