LIBR 250 Time Travelers

Summary: In this short video, Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist from City College of New York, discusses the reality behind the theory of time travel. Dr. Kaku states that there really is no law preventing time travel and describes how Einstein likened time to a river, which may fork, or have whirlpools, or even bend. He gives the example of time travel with a wormhole defining it as a shortcut between two points in time using Alice in Wonderland's Through the Looking Glass as a potential example of a wormhole. Quality: Educated at University of California Berkeley and Harvard University, Dr. Kaku is the Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at City College in New York. He has written numerous books, appeared on TV shows and been included in a variety of documentaries. He shares concepts of physics in ways lay people can understand using examples to which high schoolers can relate. It would be a nice tie-in to have the high school English class read Alice in Wonderland's Through the Looking Glass and then discuss the physics of the story in science class.

Summary: A fast-paced, yet catching video that gives a brief overview of various scientific views regarding theories of Realism and Materialism, which were popular around the turn of the 20th Century. With the advent of Quantum Mechanics in 1925, those theories were literally put to the test by the likes of Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger. An animated version of the Schrödinger experiment is included with explanations by Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist. Amazingly enough, the video concludes by pointing to an architect behind the design of Quantum Mechanics; an Intelligent Design, if you will. Quality: The content may be a bit much at first, but students will enjoy the quick pace, animations, and graphics associated with this lesson on Quantum Mechanics. This is a well done video, however, because it covers so much in such a short time, it would be important for students to have some foundational knowledge of these concepts before presenting this video as it would be best as a supplemental source.

Podcast of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity: Summary: This podcast with Fraser Cain, publisher of Universe Today, and Astronomer, Dr. Pamela Gay, discusses examples of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity to help us understand the concepts. The illustrations contained within depict the relationship between time and the speed of light or better yet, how time is affected by travelling at the speed of light. A little bit of a history lesson is included to share the evolution of these types of theories. Quality: The quality of this resource is at a high level. Dr. Gay is a credible, well-known Astronomer from the University of Southern Illinois Edwardsville. She has participated in panel discussions with the likes of Astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Theoretical Physicist, Lawrence Krauss. A transcript of this podcast is included making it easy to follow along, which can bring greater understanding of the subject matter as well.

Simply for fun! This video compilation includes a number of clips from movies related to time travel like "Back to the Future", "12 Monkeys", "The Terminator", "The Time Machine", "Planet of the Apes", to name a few to provide a humorous look at the topic of time travel over the years. This might be fun to watch at the beginning of a physics class and then move deeper into the subject matter discovering what is actually true or possible by the laws of physics.

Summary: This article breaks down basic scientific ideas and properties that we encounter in fiction about time travel, particularly the space-time continuum, relativity, and special relativity. However, it starts with the fundamental properties of the universe: space, time, matter, and motion. Next, the text defines the physical properties and characteristics of mass, energy and light. Finally, it explains the Special Theory of Relativity and its various postulate leading to time dilation. This theory is then applied and explored through the example of the Twin Paradox. Through the use of videos and everyday examples, this article makes these terms accessible for a wide audience while going into great depth on the subject matter. Evaluation: HowStuffWorks is a credible site founded by a scientist and supported by Discovery Communications to provide accurate and accessible explanations of science, technology, and nature. Though the Destiny catalog search engine categorizes this as being in the 6-8th grade reading range, the complexity of the vocabulary and the concepts make it more appropriate for high school students. Nonetheless, because these concepts are so abstract, even with the lower reading-level the text remains challenging. Thus, it is an excellent source to put these concepts into understandable terms and give students in-depth explanations of how time travel is/may be possible. This source provides a written version of what the other sources, such as the flash animations and the TED video, offer visually. Thus, using this in conjunction would give students both audio, graphic, and written explanations of the theories that support the possibility/reality of time travel.

Summary: Physicist Sean Carroll applies real science to fictional science to lay down to rules for time travelers in fiction in this post on his blog. He proposes 11 rules, starting with the number 0: "There are no paradoxes," "Traveling into the future is easy," Traveling into the past is hard," "Traveling through time is like traveling through space," "Things that travel together age, age together," "Black holes are not time machines," "If something happened, it happened," "There is no meta-time," "You can't travel back to before the time machine was built," and "Unless you got to a parallel universe." The last one is a sort of exception to all the other rules. The final rule follows the parallel universe rule that even if you go to a parallel universe, "your old universe is still there." Evaluation: First, Sean Carroll is a well-credentialed physicist who is able to bridge science and popular culture in this information packed and fun essay. He backs up each of his points with references to what we often see in time travel movies/stories as well as scientific theories and facts explained in more depth in the other sources. Yet, he does so in a way that is readable and comprehensible for the average reader. If students are engaged in interdisciplinary work, such as evaluating the scientific validity of a sci-fi story, Carroll provides excellent evidence and serves as an example of what such analysis might look like. This list could also serve a s rubric by which students analyze texts that involve time travel.

Summary: This is an animation of a lesson narrated by Colin Stuart, educator. Stuart asks the question, "is time travel really possible," and give an example of actual time travel (albeit only .02 seconds) by Sergei Kirkalev. He then goes back to the discovery of the constancy of the speed of light and Einstein's theory of relativity. The animation show how the point of perception changes the experience of time and how we experience this time dilation with trains and planes in miniscule amounts. Thus, the perception that time is universally constant is an illusion. Thus, the closer we can get to the speed of light, the further we could travel into the future. Stuart closes with why this is so difficult to achieve. In addition to the video, this site contains a comprehension quiz, links for further investigation, and discussion questions. Evaluation: As the TED brand is know for, this talk is visually engaging, accessible to a wide audience, and entertaining while also being informative. Thus, it would be a good lesson to use to introduce the idea that time travel into the future is possible (this site, unlike others, does not address travel to the past). The lesson starts off with a real examples of small steps into the future and builds the concept in a way that is easy to follow. The section about special relativity offers animations from the two perspectives and visuals of the equations. Since it is a video, students, like me, may go back and re-watch if the content was not grasped on a first viewing. The comprehension and discussion questions also provide students a chance to review the material and refer back to the video if needed to be sure that all concepts were learned as well to hear the ideas of others through discussion and application.

Summary: University of New South Wales presents a series of flash animations and lectures to explain Einstein's theory of special relativity and how it determines our understanding of time and space. The first animation is a demonstration of Galileo's observations about relativity is using the person on the train and the person on the platform scenario we saw in Colin Stuart's TED-Ed animation. This animation was made the difference clearer for me. Next the idea of how electromagnetism varies with movement and relativity is animated and explained. Then, it is shown how Einstein built on Galileo and Maxwell's work applying it to the speed of light. The final flash animations show how this theory leads to time dilation, how relativity manifests in the physical world, and the continue efforts to prove or disprove the theories of gravity and relativity, though Einstein's definition of both remain the standard in use. Evaluation: A more complex text than the others, the flash movies provide useful visuals for teaching these scientific concepts that are the fundamental theories behind time travel. The vocabulary of the narration presupposes some familiarity with scientists such as Galileo, Maxwell, and Newton and concepts such as gravity and electromagnetism. The videos also move quickly through each concept, but at the end of each there is an option to replay just the animation, which could be useful for a teacher to re-explain each theory in more comprehensible langauge for students. Since it is freely available, students may review each module on their own. Finally, the site contains links and resources for further study of the content presented. Since this comes from a university, the information is accurate and reliable.

Summary: Carl Sagan is an astronomer, Pulitzer Prize winner, and advocate for popularizing science. PBS presents this interview from NOVA's "Time Travel" program. Sagan shares his understanding of what time is and on the possibility of time travel into the future or past. Sagan elides the space between clarification and complexity; rather than answering any questions, he expands our understanding of how time is part of our construct of the world, the natural laws that dictate this world, and our experience and perception of time. For instance, Sagan notes we are all constantly time traveling minute to minute, but when we talk of time travel we really mean to travel more quickly than we normally do. He also contemplates the "grandfather paradox" and other possibilities --both horrible and wonderful -- if we were able to achieve this other type of time travel. Sagan argues against Hawking's proposal that time travel is impossible and explains the connection between the speed of light and time travel. Evaluation: As a recognized scientist and author, Sagan is a credible and authoritative source. In this interview, Sagan brings the theories and scientific explanations of the other sources into a more personal, subjective discussion of both the potential, the possible consequences, and the wonder of time travel. As a scientist, a man who can remember being "a youngster who was fascinated by the possibility of time travel," and an author of his own time travel novel, Sagan connects the theories of time travel to our daily experience and to our imagination. Thus, this article could launch a discussion on how far can we really go as time travelers or be the first voice in a debate of the validity of various imaginings of time travel, from H.G. Wells to Rebecca Stead, or a debate about the benefits and dangers of time travel.

Summary: Put out by NASA's Glenn Research Center, this website discusses what we know and don't know about science as it relates to the implications of time travel. What we know at this point in time (no pun intended), is that faster than light travel is not possible. The site also mentions other theories such as wormholes and quantum paradoxes, which have not been proven yet as viable options. The site adds that time travel is considered far more impossible than light travel. Quality: Having been complied by scientists at NASA's Glenn Research Center, this website is thorough and credible in its discussion of the possibility of time travel and the applicable Rules of Special Relativity. The site also includes some graphics to aid in understanding the basics of Special Relativity and links to other NASA related topics for further study.

Summary: Spaceplace is a website that includes a number of scenarios to demonstrate the potential for time travel. Einstein's Special Relativity is described in a understandable way as the site is basic, not only in its explanations, but also in its graphics, which may make it easier for students to understand. The site is related to or sponsored by NASA and includes a link at the bottom to show how NASA is practically applying these principles in one of their space stations. Quality: This site is a bit more basic than the others listed, which may make it easier for students to grasp the physics concepts contained within. Spaceplace might be considered a good starting place as it is more an introduction to physics and the ideas associated with time travel, time paradoxes, and relativity.