简介
Summary:
Publisher Summary 1
This interesting work on physics and science fiction writing explores popular theories of time travel from literature from H.G. Wells' Time Machine era to the present. Nahin (emeritus, engineering, U. of New Hampshire) presents a discussion of topics such as special relativity and time travel to the future, hyperspace, general relativity and time travel to the past, paradoxes in time travel, "real" theories of time travel in modern physics, faster-than-light travel and quantum gravity and splitting universes. While this work involves some complex scientific discussion it will appeal to science fiction fans and writers alike. This is a reprint of a book first published in 1997. Annotation 漏2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Publisher Summary 2
From H.G. Wells to Isaac Asimov to Ursula K. Le Guin, time travel has long been a favorite topic and plot device in tales of science fiction and fantasy. But as any true SF fan knows, astounding stories about traversing alternate universes and swimming the tides of time demand plausible science. That's just what Paul J. Nahin's guide provides.An engineer, physicist, and published science fiction writer, Nahin is uniquely qualified to explain the ins and outs of how to spin such complex theories as worm holes, singularity, and relativity into scientifically sound fiction. First published in 1997, this fast-paced book discusses the common and not-so-common time-travel devices science fiction writers have used over the years, assesses which would theoretically work and which would not, and provides scientific insight inventive authors can use to find their own way forward or backward in time. From hyperspace and faster-than-light travel to causal loops and the uncertainty principle and beyond, Nahin's equation-free romp across time will help writers send their characters to the past or future in an entertaining, logical, and scientific way.If you ever wanted to set up the latest and greatest grandfather paradox鈥攐r just wanted to know if the time-bending events in the latest pulp you read could ever happen鈥攖hen this book is for you.
目录
Table Of Contents:
Preface viii
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction
The science of time travel. The "laws" of time travel. The difference between science fiction and fantasy. Outline of the book 1(8)
Chapter 1 Time Travel in the Pulps 9(20)
A brief history of time travel as it was written in the "Golden Age" of science fiction
The pulps and time travel
The special fascination of time-travel stories
Summary
Chapter 2 Special Relativity and Time Travel to the Future 29(20)
An explanation of Einstein's special theory of relativity and why it indicates that time travel may be possible
Einstein's discovery of the relativity of time
The paradox of the twins
Summary
Chapter 3 Time Travel to the Past 49(18)
A look at the scientific groundwork upon which time travel theory is constructed
World-lines, light cones, and closed timelike curves
Causality
Antimatter and time travel
Why Wells's time machine couldn't work
Summary
Chapter 4 Hyperspace 67(6)
The concept of dimension and why we live in a world of at least three spatial dimensions
Folded space-time and wormholes
Space as the fourth dimension
Summary
Chapter 5 Time as the Fourth Dimension 73(14)
A look at how time "moves" and how it can be considered as a spatial dimension
Circular, linear, and helical time
The direction of time
Entropy as an arrow of time
Summary
Chapter 6 The Block Universe 87(12)
Philosophy and science are uneasy neighbors in the block universe
Conservation of mass-energy in time travel
Free will and fatalism
Summary
Chapter 7 When General Relativity Made Time Travel Honest ... 99(8)
How Godel found what Einstein had overlooked and put forth his own view of time travel
Meeting yourself in the past
Einstein's response to Godel
Summary
Chapter 8 Paradoxes: Changing the Past, Causal Loops, and Sex 107(20)
An overview of time travel paradoxes and why most of them are invalid
The grandfather paradox
The Time Police
Principle of self-consistency
Sexual paradoxes
Summary
Chapter 9 Time Machines that Physicists Have Already `Invented' 127(16)
Theoretical "paper" time machines and how they might work
Rotating cylinders
Wormholes
Exotic matter, energy conditions, and gravity time dilation
Cauchy and chronology horizons
Cosmic strings
Summary
Chapter 10 Faster-Than-Light (FTL) Into the Past 143(20)
The theory of sending information forward or backward in time
Tachyons and special relativity
The reinterpretation principle and antitelephones
The FTL signed message puzzle
The space-time geometry of FTL
Summary
Chapter 11 Quantum Gravity, Splitting Universes, and Time Machines 163(14)
Contemporary physicists have a few new ways of looking at time travel
The uncertainty principle
Splitting realities
Chronology protection
The Back Reaction
Multiple time tracks and parallel worlds
Summary
Chapter 12 Reading the Physics Literature for Story Ideas 177(6)
These technical journals are available in academic libraries, or at any college or university with a physics department, and can be scanned for the latest results in time machine physics and fresh story ideas 177(6)
Glossary of Selected Terms and Concepts 183(8)
Bibliography 191(7)
Index 198
Preface viii
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction
The science of time travel. The "laws" of time travel. The difference between science fiction and fantasy. Outline of the book 1(8)
Chapter 1 Time Travel in the Pulps 9(20)
A brief history of time travel as it was written in the "Golden Age" of science fiction
The pulps and time travel
The special fascination of time-travel stories
Summary
Chapter 2 Special Relativity and Time Travel to the Future 29(20)
An explanation of Einstein's special theory of relativity and why it indicates that time travel may be possible
Einstein's discovery of the relativity of time
The paradox of the twins
Summary
Chapter 3 Time Travel to the Past 49(18)
A look at the scientific groundwork upon which time travel theory is constructed
World-lines, light cones, and closed timelike curves
Causality
Antimatter and time travel
Why Wells's time machine couldn't work
Summary
Chapter 4 Hyperspace 67(6)
The concept of dimension and why we live in a world of at least three spatial dimensions
Folded space-time and wormholes
Space as the fourth dimension
Summary
Chapter 5 Time as the Fourth Dimension 73(14)
A look at how time "moves" and how it can be considered as a spatial dimension
Circular, linear, and helical time
The direction of time
Entropy as an arrow of time
Summary
Chapter 6 The Block Universe 87(12)
Philosophy and science are uneasy neighbors in the block universe
Conservation of mass-energy in time travel
Free will and fatalism
Summary
Chapter 7 When General Relativity Made Time Travel Honest ... 99(8)
How Godel found what Einstein had overlooked and put forth his own view of time travel
Meeting yourself in the past
Einstein's response to Godel
Summary
Chapter 8 Paradoxes: Changing the Past, Causal Loops, and Sex 107(20)
An overview of time travel paradoxes and why most of them are invalid
The grandfather paradox
The Time Police
Principle of self-consistency
Sexual paradoxes
Summary
Chapter 9 Time Machines that Physicists Have Already `Invented' 127(16)
Theoretical "paper" time machines and how they might work
Rotating cylinders
Wormholes
Exotic matter, energy conditions, and gravity time dilation
Cauchy and chronology horizons
Cosmic strings
Summary
Chapter 10 Faster-Than-Light (FTL) Into the Past 143(20)
The theory of sending information forward or backward in time
Tachyons and special relativity
The reinterpretation principle and antitelephones
The FTL signed message puzzle
The space-time geometry of FTL
Summary
Chapter 11 Quantum Gravity, Splitting Universes, and Time Machines 163(14)
Contemporary physicists have a few new ways of looking at time travel
The uncertainty principle
Splitting realities
Chronology protection
The Back Reaction
Multiple time tracks and parallel worlds
Summary
Chapter 12 Reading the Physics Literature for Story Ideas 177(6)
These technical journals are available in academic libraries, or at any college or university with a physics department, and can be scanned for the latest results in time machine physics and fresh story ideas 177(6)
Glossary of Selected Terms and Concepts 183(8)
Bibliography 191(7)
Index 198
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