Story of the World - Why Time Travel Fails

[Kingdaro]

Browsing through the audio portal on Newgrounds, I found a song titled _Paradox_, and a story that came with it.

The scientists of the world face a crCIA. Human activity, over the course of centuries, has slowly depleted the planet's resources. Any action being taken to correct this is now in vain, as the Sun's rays are strong enough to fully penetrate what little remains of the precious ozone layer above the clouds -- this makes food production a nonviable option. Tensions wear thin as rioting and protesting citizens rampage the streets of major cities, demanding a solution; the empty promises of crooked politicians no longer satisfying their rage.

The year is 2366 C.E.

However, technology has come quite far since the old days of the television and the internet. Thanks to new understanding of subatomic particles, we can travel freely through time -- well, in theory. Due to the apocalyptic nature of the situation, there is no time to test this recently discovered knowledge. A chance must be taken to ensure the safety of the human race.

In the song, the moment of time travel initiation is 1:50.

The plan? To return to the era of the industrial revolution to warn the people then about the dangers of fossil fuel consumption and mass production.

Despite all the risk involved, the strategy works -- until the scientists attempt to return to their own time. You see, since humans were convinced to moderate industrialization, technology advanced at a slower rate, thus time travel was not discovered as early as 2366 C.E.

Therefore, the scientists could not have initiated time travel in 2366 C.E. anymore. This creates what is known as a temporal paradox.

The universe shuts itself down accordingly.

I like this little story.

[Ad Bot]

[awesomeman322]

Too much reading.

[Kingdaro]

Too much reading.

Read it you lazy forget.

[The Titanium]

Where was it stated that paradoxes caused the universe destruction?
also there are numerous views on time travel that really avoid this entire scenario
i think quantum mechanics does this

[awesomeman322]

Read it you lazy forget.

I read it.
You happy?

[Domidore66]

Liked the story, but didn't like the song.

[Narkro555]

tl;dr

That was actually a very clever story. However, time travel should never be used, due to the "butterfly effect", which is related to this story's end.

[DrenDran]

When they teleported back, they'd just be in a, what's basically, a varied 4th or 5th axis point.
If time travel was possible, you could go back, change the past, and still have the future you came from origionally exist just fine, even if the future you return to changes.

[Narkro555]

When they teleported back, they'd just be in a, what's basically, a varied 4th or 5th axis point.
If time travel was possible, you could go back, change the past, and still have the future you came from origionally exist just fine, even if the future you return to changes.

It still means chaos if far back enough. Like the story "Sound of Thunder", a guy steps on a butterfly when hunting dinosaurs via a time travel machine, he tries to go back to the present but gets into a severely altered world in which he doesn't exist. The buisness owner shoots him with a shotgun.

[DrenDran]

It still means chaos if far back enough. Like the story "Sound of Thunder", a guy steps on a butterfly when hunting dinosaurs via a time travel machine, he tries to go back to the present but gets into a severely altered world in which he doesn't exist. The buisness owner shoots him with a shotgun.

You completly misunterstood what I said.
If it was going possible, going back, and going forward again, would basically put you in a "new dimension". (though it'd actually be a new position on a 5th axis)

[Jetlok]

the past already happened. if you did try to do time travel the world would've always been how it would've been. if you didn't, all is well and bunnies frolick through forests.

or something.
also I didn't read OP, knowing the magic behind miracles ruin the miracles c:

[Narkro555]

Why? When you travel, you often return to where you were. Why would you pop into a new dimension? Also, if you went to the past to alter something, by you're point returning to the present would do nothing.

By the way, various scientists in another thread are about to complete a teleport. Maybe if we alter it a little we'll have a working time machine.

[DrenDran]

Why? When you travel, you often return to where you were. Why would you pop into a new dimension? Also, if you went to the past to alter something, by you're point returning to the present would do nothing.

By the way, various scientists in another thread are about to complete a teleport. Maybe if we alter it a little we'll have a working time machine.

There are currently understood to be four dimensions.
Three are directional, generally labeled 'x', 'y', and 'z'.
The forth is time.
The fifth would be something you move around in during a time travel trip, meaning you don't really travel though the time dimension as one might think.

[Red Cube]

lol

[Narkro555]

As far as I know, dimensions aren't really places. And time is only an example of a fourth dimension, it isn't the fourth dimension. Here's how they work:

The first dimension: imaging a line
The second dimension: image a flat square, made up of multiple 1st dimensions
The third dimension: the dimension in which we exist and compare to, made up of multiple 2nd dimensions
So traveling to the fourth dimension isn't going up or down or forwards etc. You're going across. Because the 4th dimension is made up of 3rd dimensions. Time is multiple 3rd dimensions, essentially.