If you ’ve drop any prison term see science fiction shows , you ’ve in all probability listen of tachyon rays , a tachyon matrix , or just loose - floating tachyons . Tachyons are particles that travel faster than light . And one professor at long last come up with a economic consumption for them . Sort of .
Gregory Benford is many things : a professor of physics , a Nebula - Award - winning science fiction author , and the artificer – at least in possibility – of the tachyonic antitelephone . The earphone makes use of tachyons , diminutive atom that move so tight that they go faster - than - brightness level . How anyone will manage to round them up , let alone do work them into a phone is anyone ’s shot , but once it ’s here , the tachyonic antitelephone will be a very utilitarian invention .
If you ’ve ever forget to call someone , you know the pain of finally , belatedly , picking up the phone . A tachyonic antitelephone would let you to ring someone back in time . Because tachyons go quicker than the speed of light , they would move around back in time to before you ever made your telephone set call . It ’s tough to say if the tachyons would be programmable – whether they would always call forty - five moment ago or whether they could be correct for any meter – but Benford thought of one conversation that would take station across the pair of two hours . Or not .
allow us say that one individual , Tasha , agrees to call the second person , Data , if she has not heard from him by twelve . She makes the call at twelve , and Data invite it . Data , want to correct his error , picks up the tachyonic antitelephone and calls back to eleven o’clock . Tasha meet the call , and has now heard from him by twelve , and so does n’t call him . This means he does n’t call her by twelve except he already has , unless he has n’t which imply she ’s called him , which means he has call her . ( That call would still be the matter that made the most sentience about their human relationship , though . ) The point , Benford close , is that the conversation only take place if it has never take place .
My problem with the tachyonic antitelephone is more complicated . That telephone would mean that there would also be a tachyonic antiinternet , which means moving-picture show theaters will be pre - sold - out , and I could only put picture show tickets before anyone knows there will be a movie schedule , or even a picture at all . finally , I ’ll have to just guess which movies will be coming out , which think that in good order this minute I need to order A well Day to Twi Hard , the Twilight - give out gruelling crossover to be made in 2017 . Do n’t pretend you would n’t see it .
[ ViaThe Universal Book of Mathematics , University of Oregon . ]
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