Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: abrooks051 on 31/07/2019 20:02:19
-
I don't know how many of you are "Futurama" fans but I want to reference the final episode, "Meanwhile".
Fry and Leela essentially stop time within the entire Universe, except for themselves. Now, thought experiment.
What would actually have happened if they had actually stopped time? Would they have been able to walk on the ocean? Would they have been able to move things and people? I have my own thoughts but I will wait for some feedback before voicing same. "The ball is in your park".
-
Now, thought experiment.
What would actually have happened if they had actually stopped time? Would they have been able to walk on the ocean? Would they have been able to move things and people?
First I would imagine that time would need to be something that goes.
You seem to be imagining that all material except some exception (our observers) suddenly become stationary relative to all other material, which is stopping motion, but not stopping time.
Said observers are thus trapped between immobile atmosphere and wouldn't be able to move or breathe. They'd not be able to see anything because light would not get to them. I suppose if they didn't similarly become stationary with everything else, they'd suffocate and die, or die from the impact against the suddenly stationary surroundings much like those in an airplane die by the sudden impact against a stationary mountainside.
-
My thoughts as well, but it was a very good episode.
-
What would actually have happened if they had actually stopped time? Would they have been able to walk on the ocean? Would they have been able to move things and people?
Your answer is in the question. Stop motion, stop time. If you happened to somehow exist in this paused universe with the ability to move normally, your motion would be C relative to everything else. You'd burn up instantly, and probably explode as you ran into things, not to mention breathing air would be a bit difficult, as it too would be stopped. Even if you remained perfectly still, you'd suffocate to death pretty quickly. And as the other commentor suggested, it would be pitch black. You couldn't see a darn thing.
A lot of SciFi portrays this kind of thing, but realistically you would be doing a lot of damage to things even if you simply slowed time around you. You motion relative to anything else would be insanely fast. Any movement on your part would likely result in shattered bones.
Fun Sci-Fi of course, but it really is completely fictitious.
-
andreasva:
Thanks for the feedback. Having watched "Futurama", I believe this to be one of the best episodes. A real "tear jerker" was the one about Fry's dog.
-
When will Elon Musk set up our own "Planet Express"? (Other courier services are available....)
-
Here's a variation on this: instead of stopping time and violating physics, you could stop the perception of time in people around you. Thus, turn on a magical device that disables brain memory so you can enter a room and do your mischief without anyone remembering it.
-
no, it doesn't matter if time is a flow or 'instants'. You would perceive it the same, I know no experiment that would prove time to 'stop'.