How Time Travel Works in Science Fiction

This incredible infographic was produced by Karl Tate and first published on space.com. Full credit belongs there! (Embed code provided on-site).

Read, learn and enjoy!

How time travel works in science fiction:

Chart of various methods of time travel.

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration.

I left this comment on the original website. But what do you think?

Paul


I’m not sure if Superman went back in time because he flew faster than the speed of light; I understood that it was because by flying quickly around the world, he got the direction of the Earth’s rotation to reverse, and thereby time went backwards. (Admittedly, if time was going backwards, then it would also look like the Earth was spinning backwards). Indeed, he restores the normal flow of time by flying around the world again but in the normal direction. So it seems that it’s his flight direction and not flight speed which brings about time travel.

Also, doesn’t high velocity result in time dilation, effectively meaning that Superman has aged less than those on the Earth? That means that he’s effectively travelling into the future.

Anyway. Who am I to question the laws of physics when it comes to Superman!


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1 Comment

  1. I never thought Superman was reversing the direction of Earth’s rotation. Such a reversal would have subjected Earth to fantastic amounts of kinetic energy. It would have torn oceans from their beds and destroyed every coastline in the world with monumental tsunamis. The Chicxulub asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs would have been slight tap on the brakes by comparison.

    The implication of the visuals is that Superman accelerated so much he went faster than light, and therefore from his persepective, the world was revolving backwards as he went back in time. Of course, once he lands and finds her alive, Lois Lane is no longer swallowed by the earthquake chasm. Why not? Did Superman repair that particular crack in the earth? He never does.

    I think the writers just cheated, and decided that by his mere presence, Superman prevented the earthquake.

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