The Science and Physics of Back To the Future 436
overthinkingit writes "A scientist has tried to apply serious math and physics, including the Law of Cosines, to analyze how the DeLorean in Back to the Future travels through both Time AND Space: 'in order to pull off the kind of time travel we see in the Back To The Future trilogy — the kind where the traveler is transposed in time, but remains stationary in the same relative position to where he/she left — the DeLorean would have to be an outstanding space ship, in addition to its already laudable work as a time-ship. According to Doc Brown's stopwatch, Einstein the dog travels precisely one minute into the future on this first jump, arriving, relative to their frame of reference, at the same location he left. But how far has this reference frame itself traveled during that one minute?'"
Does it explain (Score:5, Funny)
stasis field food storage (Score:5, Funny)
Extra Dimensions (Score:5, Funny)
What you fail to grasp is that the 7th dimension works like quantum sticky tape to hold you in place relative to the things around you as you travel through time. So, you don't really need a space ship because of the relativistic affects of the items around you relative to each other pulling you along. Plus there's the whole inertia thing which requires you to go 88 miles an hour exactly so you always wind up where you started whether you go forward or backward. Try it yourself by drawing two 8's. On is for space space and the other one is for time space.
Also, don't forget that the velocity has to be in miles per hour, because the metric system is gay.
DUH!
DeLorian problems (Score:5, Funny)
Re:cosines (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Black to the Future (Score:1, Funny)
1.21 niggawatts? 1.21 niggawatts? Great Scott! The only power source capable of generating 1.21 niggawatts of theft/welfare is a nigger.
Aether Drag (Score:4, Funny)
Since Professor Brown is obviously using Steampunk technology (look at the ending to the final BTTF), it seems clear to me that the solution to this problem is that the Time Machine is carried along in the Earth's "Aether Drag", the distorting effect that any large mass has on the Luminiferous Aether!
Re:1.21 Jigawatts (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Teleportation and aging issues. (Score:1, Funny)
According to Einstein's theory, say you were 15 years old when you left Earth in a spacecraft traveling at about 99.5% of the speed of light, and celebrated only five birthdays during your space voyage. When you get home at the age of 20, you would find that all your classmates were 65 years old, retired, and enjoying their grandchildren! Because time passed more slowly for you, you will have experienced only five years of life, while your classmates will have experienced a full 50 years.
The only way the mismatched aging is possible is if you can travel in one direction in a straight line and get back to the same point you started at. Why? Say on your trip you travel away from your classmates in a straight line, so relative to your classmates you age 5 years and they age 50 years (45 more than you). Now, how are you going to get back? You travel back in the reverse direction, so you age 5 years and (relative to you) your classmates age -40 years. Everybody is 25.
Re:DeLorian problems (Score:5, Funny)
The fire was probably due to a well known fact that DeLorians leaked fuel and oil badly. That's why they quit making them.
Why don't the British make computers?
Because they haven't figured out how to make them leak oil yet.
I'm sure you'll get a set of complimentary tightening wrenches with them when they do though.
Re:Gee.. seems I need a ... (Score:3, Funny)
Wrong, as you can CLEARLY see, his server doesn't have the 1.21 Jigawatts necessary to jump OVER the slashdot effect and into your browser.
Re:It's really quite simple (Score:5, Funny)
Re:stasis field food storage (Score:5, Funny)
Reminds me of my favorite children's book (that didn't make it): The Magical World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator.
Of course I also liked:
Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School
Microwaves and Hamsters: An I Can Do It! Book
Daddy Drinks Because You Cry
Curious George and the Electric Fence
Re:Doesn't need to be a spaceship (Score:1, Funny)
No need for space travel at fantastic speeds
only 88mph.
Re:Does it explain (Score:4, Funny)
Ironically Doc Brown knew his machine could travel through time, yet was surprised the car was cold.
He would have been more surprised if Einstein was turned inside out in the front seat.
Don't ask me! (Score:5, Funny)
Ask this guy [youtube.com] instead.
Re:DeLorian problems (Score:4, Funny)
Re:It's really quite simple (Score:5, Funny)
And by meeting, he means fucking.
Re:stasis field food storage (Score:3, Funny)
Re:stasis field food storage (Score:3, Funny)
Re:link (Score:5, Funny)
Re:link (Score:3, Funny)
Re:stasis field food storage (Score:2, Funny)
It depends how much weight you put on the lid.
Re:Doesn't need to be a spaceship (Score:3, Funny)
Or it could be like the spaceship in Futurama. It doesn't travel at all, it moves the universe around itself.
Re:It's really quite simple (Score:5, Funny)
Which is redundant when talking about the works of Heinlein.
Re:link (Score:3, Funny)
Apparently they're temporarily unavailable at the Delorian site. They had some listed a year or two ago
In the site FAQ, they mention that their California branch office can attempt to duplicate Dr. Emmett Brown's work; but, it is very expensive
another option is ebay. Ocassionally one will appear there. I don't vouch for it being fully functional (there appear to be a lot of cheap copies floating around). Try this:
Re:DeLorian problems (Score:5, Funny)
Re:wear your space suit (Score:1, Funny)
It really is useful, but you are over-thinking this part. No swapping occurs; that would be a far more complex problem and less practical. Remember, there is plenty of vacuum between particles. If you throw a ball at a wall enough times, it will eventually pass through. The number of actual collisions are negligible and you already know what happens in those rare cases. However, without either providing a safe target space or mapping the source space to the target space at extremely high fidelity, the object will be smeared across several dimensions at varying rates of compression/expansion due to local forces and radiation. Source spaces are always safe; target spaces not so. Do not attempt to transport anything you value until you have verified that your target space is safe (unless you are in interstellar space, transport a shielded container first, a test object secondly, bring the test object back, verify its integrity, then transport the target object). Also (this should have been obvious): If transporting yourself, do not trust your lab assistants; take the extra time to place the temporal apparatus on the inside of the vehicle, otherwise you will likely be stranded. It is truly frustrating to see so many people so painfully close to the answers and knowing you will not figure it out for another 63 years. I would help you out, but I already know that I cannot move the technology curve more than a few months in either direction, so it is quite pointless.
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Re:Doesn't need to be a spaceship (Score:3, Funny)
A pedant? On Slashdot? How did he make it through the rigorous screening process and obtain an account?
Re:Does it explain (Score:1, Funny)
DeLorian's Space-Time compensator is evil. You are educated stupid. The substrate is consisted of 4 corners and Dr. Brown is evil and stupid.