Sunday, May 15, 2016

Grandfather Paradox - Resolved?

This Minute Physics video claims to have "resolved" the infamous grandfather paradox. Well, OK, they don't actually say that, but they basically indicated why this might be a never-ending loop.



Still, let's think about it this way instead. During your grandfather's time, presumably, ALL the atoms or energy that will make you are already there, only they are all not together to form you. This only happens later on. But they are all there!

But here you come along from another time, popping into existence in your grandfather's time. Aren't you violating conservation of energy by adding MORE energy to the universe that are not accounted for? Now, unless there is a quid pro quo, where an equal amount of energy in your grandfather's time was siphoned to the future where you came from, this violation of conservation of energy is hard to explain away, especially if you invoke Noether's theorem.

I haven't come across a popular account of this issue.

Zz.

1 comment:

ppnl said...


Why does everyone always want to kill their grandfather? What if your grandmother was... very friendly?

Anyway a superposition of alive/dead grandparents is fine for the time between. But after the time travel loop you either exist or don't. So it seems the universe will pinch off any time traveling effect.