“Sci Fi Movies:

Reaching Dimensions”

A Position Paper Presented to Ms. Divina Paulete

Pasig City Science High School

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Advanced Physics II (Modern Physics)

for the Third Quarter

Presented by:

Fernan Ada Santos

Isabel Katrina Cajuguiran

John Mari Santos

IV – Boyle

January 2011

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page…………………………………………………………………………………………1

Acknowledgement………………………………………………………………………………2

Table of

Contents………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Chapter I – Introduction…….………………………………………………………………..…5

A. Overview

B. Statement of the Problem

C. Scope & Delimitations

D. Significance

Chapter II – Review of Related Literature and Studies.............................................................7

Chapter III – Insights………………………………………………………………………….13

Chapter IV – Formulated Theory………………………………………………………………16

A. Discussion

B. Summary

C. Conclusion

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D. Recommendation

E. Formulated Theory

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………18

Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………21

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. OVERVIEW

Have you ever questioned the possibility of fiction movies? Like how did Alice get into

another world by just falling into the rabbit hole? Or “how on Earth did the Pevensie Kids get

into Narnia by just walking into a wardrobe? What if you can travel from one dimension to

another? How would you find your rabbit hole?

Time travel has been a common subject of science fiction movies. The mere thought of

traveling into a different time, a different dimension has baffled people of all ages for centuries.

Most movies about time travel are of traveling to alternate places and times and reach their

destinations by moving beyond the speed of light – time warp.

Being the students that we are, it is right as much to be quite curious as well. That is why

we decided to choose a topic that intrigues us the most. The mere idea of time travel is a very

elaborate one – now that thinking of it doesn’t merely mean thinking about getting to another

time or place rather, it is now of thinking how to get to certain destinations.

Reading through this position paper will get your mind reeling on the possibility of time

traveling and how you can actually get to other places through time warp – making reaching

different dimensions no longer a thing for the movies.

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B. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to explain the different possibilities of time travel in relation to different

science fiction movies.

Specifically, it seeks to explain the following questions:

1. Are there any possibilities of time travel in different science-fiction movies?

A. What are the possible ways of time travel featured in the movies?

a. To what extent does this way of time traveling possible?

b. How does time travel is being done in those movies?

2. How does the concepts of science-fiction movies are related to real concepts of physics in

time traveling?

A. What are the concepts of science-fiction movies in time travel?

a. What are the differences of time travel in fiction movies and real time

travel concept?

b. How does a four dimensional space interconnected?

B. In what way time travel in movies related to real time travel concepts?

a. How do they differ?

b. How to travel in a four-dimensional space?

3. How can time travel be possible?

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 A. What are wormholes?

B. What are loopholes?

C. SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS

The position paper will validate science fiction movies using the concepts and theories of

time warp and multiple dimensions. The movies will be just the following: Alice in Wonderland,

Peter Pan and Star Trek. This position paper will not include any other science fiction movie,

such as Avatar and other movies that do not use time warping in time traveling or reaching

dimensions. Also, the paper is only limited to theories regarding time warping and multiple

dimensions. The relation between the time warp and multiple dimensions will be discussed in the

paper – how going to a different time and place would be possible without having to face the

consequences of time travel. Time warp is a specific topic in the movies that deals with reaching

beyond the speed of light and not having to face the repercussions. On the other hand, multiple

dimensions in this position paper is defined only as a different space and time reached by time

warp.

D. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The world, inhabited by living things is full of mysteries and unexplained phenomena

like what we can see on science-fiction movies. This study will provide explanations to people’s

query about the existence of time travel and how dimensions will converge through those

fictional ones. This position paper will give some explanations for our future technological

advancements like time travelling. This will be important especially for high school and college

students, professors and researchers because this study will provide them more clarifications on

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misconceptions regarding science fiction movies and perhaps pave way for more understandings

on the possibilities of time travel.

People would be able to understand the science behind the movies, getting closer to

actually believing that time travel is actually possible. In the process of doing so, they wouldn’t

be so skeptical and cynic that they would support the scientists who are in charge of researching

on it.

Scientists would be able to convince people into believing in their findings more because

of this paper. They would find it much easier since this paper is quite easy to understand, since it

is on a topic most people can relate to.

Consequently, the film industry could earn much more, in a way. This paper could

intrigue people more and make them thirst for more. The film industry would have it’s customers

reeling for more science fiction because of that constant nagging in their head dying to

understand more on the field.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. TIME WARP

Time warp is commonly used in science fiction. It is sometimes used to refer to

Einstein’s theory that time and space form a continuum which bends or alters from the

observer’s vision.

B. MULTIPLE DIMENSION

Physics is now facing a serious problem with the "naturalness" of fundamental

constants. Most of these quantities for the constituent theories are considered not only values

very strange point of view that presage the corpus, but again, some of them seem specifically

tailored to the emergence of complexity. If you want to escape the theological or teleological

explanations (particularly in the Intelligent Design who would like the universe was

created for the emergence of man), it is clear that the existence of multiple universes in which

physical laws are independent structures would provide immediate light on the difficulty. The

multiverse has a solution almost "obvious" to some nagging paradoxes of theoretical physics and

forms part of a development hitherto uncontradicted: the size and diversity of the cosmos has

never ceased to grow as and when scientific discoveries.

C. TIME TRAVELLING

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 Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner

analogous to moving between different points in space, either sending objects (or in some cases

just information) backwards in time to some moment before the present, or sending objects

forward from the present to the future without the need to experience the intervening period (at

least not at the normal rate).

Although time travel has been a common plot device in fiction since the 19th century,

and one-way travel into the future is arguably possible given the phenomenon of time

dilation based on velocity in the theory of special relativity (exemplified by the twin paradox), as

well as gravitational time dilation in the theory of general relativity, it is currently unknown

whether the laws of physics would allow backwards time travel.

Any technological device, whether fictional or hypothetical, that is used to achieve time

travel is commonly known as a time machine.

Some interpretations of time travel also suggest that an attempt to travel backwards in

time might take one to a parallel universe whose history would begin to diverge from the

traveler's original history after the moment the traveler arrived in the past.

D. FASTER-THAN-LIGHT

Faster-than-light (also superluminal or FTL) communications and travel refer to the

propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light. Under the special theory of

relativity, a slower-than-light particle with nonzero rest mass needs infinite energy to accelerate

to the speed of light, although special relativity does not forbid the existence of particles that

travel faster than light at all times.

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 On the other hand, what some physicists refer to as "apparent" or "effective" FTL is the

hypothesis that unusually distorted regions of spacetime might permit matter to reach distant

locations faster than what it would take light in the normal or undistorted spacetime. Although,

according to current theories, matter is still required to travel subluminally with respect to the

locally distorted spacetime region, apparent FTL is not excluded by general relativity. Examples

of apparent FTL proposals are the Alcubierre drive and the traversable wormhole, although the

physical plausibility of these solutions is uncertain.

Faster-than-light communication is, by Einstein's theory of relativity, equivalent to time

travel. According to Einstein's theory of special relativity, what we measure as the speed of light

in a vacuum is actually the fundamental physical constant c. This means that all inertial

observers, regardless of their relative velocity, will always measure zero-mass particles such as

photons traveling at c in a vacuum. This result means that measurements of time and velocity in

different frames are no longer related simply by constant shifts, but are instead related by

Poincaré transformations. These transformations have important implications:

• The relativistic momentum of a massive particle would increase with speed in such a way

that at the speed of light an object would have infinite momentum.

• To accelerate an object of non-zero rest mass to c would require infinite time with any

finite acceleration, or infinite acceleration for a finite amount of time.

• Either way, such acceleration requires infinite energy. Going beyond the speed of light in

a homogeneous space would hence require more than infinite energy, which is not

generally considered to be a sensible notion.

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 • Some observers with sub-light relative motion will disagree about which occurs first of

any two events that are separated by a space-like interval. In other words, any travel that

is faster-than-light will be seen as traveling backwards in time in some other, equally

valid, frames of reference, or need to assume the speculative hypothesis of possible

Lorentz violations at a presently unobserved scale (for instance the Planck scale).

Therefore any theory which permits "true" FTL also has to cope with time travel and all

its associated paradoxes, or else to assume the Lorentz invariance to be a symmetry of

thermodynamical statistical nature (hence a symmetry broken at some presently

unobserved scale).

• In special relativity the coordinate speed of light is only guaranteed to be c in an inertial

frame, in a non-inertial frame the coordinate speed may be different than c; in general

relativity no coordinate system on a large region of curved spacetime is "inertial", so it's

permissible to use a global coordinate system where objects travel faster than c, but in the

local neighborhood of any point in curved spacetime we can define a "local inertial

frame" and the local speed of light will be c in this frame, with massive objects moving

through this local neighborhood always having a speed less than c in the local inertial

frame.

E. WARP FIELD

A warp field, or subspace displacement field, is the means by which awarp

drive propels a starship at faster-than-light (or warp) speeds. Generated by field coils, usually

found in nacelles, the field surrounds the ship, causing the space around the ship to distort.

The warp field, also known as a subspace field, is a subspace displacement which

warps space around the vessel, allowing it to "ride" on a distortion and travel faster than the

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speed of light. (ENT: "Cold Front") This has the physical effect of reducing the inertial mass of

any object encompassed by the field. (TNG: "Deja Q"; DS9: "Emissary")

During emergency situations where the transfer of crew or other objects is necessary

while in warp, the warp fields of two vessels may be brought into contact with each other and

merge to form one, provided both ships remain motionless relative to each other and at the same

warp velocity. (ENT: "Divergence")

Creating an inverse warp field was analogous to dropping the anchor for a

starship. USS Voyager used such a field in 2376 in an attempt to ride out a massive neutronic

wavefront impacting its shields at a velocity of two hundred thousand kilometers per second. The

warp core needed to be converted before the field could be generated. (VOY: "Fair Haven")

The warp field of a Federation starship like the USS Enterprise-D left behind

an electromagnetic signature onData's internal servo fluid system. (TNG: "Schisms")

The interactions between a warp field and a wormhole could be unpredictable, and ships

routinely dropped to impulse when traveling through one. In 2370, a plasma injector leak aboard

the runabout Rio Grande caused the vessel to enter the Bajoran wormhole with an only partially-

collapsed warp field. This had the effect of transporting the runabout, along with its two

crewmembers, Major Kira Nerys and Doctor Julian Bashir, to a parallel universe. Kira and

Bashir were later able to return to their own universe by recreating the accident and going back

through the wormhole. (DS9: "Crossover")

In 2063, Geordi La Forge was able to modify the warp field of the USS Enterprise-E to

match the exact chronometric readings of the Borg sphere they had pursued back in time and was

able to recreate the temporal vortex that the sphere had created and return the Enterprise to

the 24th century. (Star Trek: First Contact)

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 Warp fields can be disrupted by inverse graviton bursts. In 2375, the IKS Ning'tao, under

the command of Dahar Master Kor, managed to destabilize the warp fields of several

pursuing Jem'Hadar attack ships by using the technique. (DS9: "Once More Unto the Breach")

The warp fields of conventional warp engines caused damage to the fabric of spacetime,

eventually causing subspace to extrude into normal space, creating phenomena such as subspace

rifts. In order to slow the rate of damage, the Federation Council shared their findings with all

known warp-capable species in 2370 and imposed aspeed limit of warp factor 5 on all Federation

vessels in all but extreme emergencies. (TNG: "Force of Nature")

Destabilized omega molecules destroy subspace through rupturing it on such a vast scale

that it impossible to create a stable warp field in the area. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")

While it has never been canonically clearly stated exactly how the warp field works,

several statements and displays have been made and used over the course of the series:

The warp core is a gravimetric field displacement manifold. (ENT: "Cold Front")

The warp coils create a subspace displacement field. (ENT: "Cold Front")

An object not entirely encompassed by the forward end of the warp field may be

destroyed by subspace compression. {TNG: "Deja Q")

Several displays in Engineering on the Enterprise-D show radiating lines emitting from

the warp nacelles. These lines are tightly spaced in the front of the saucer while widely space at

the rear, to the point of another whole ship length. (TNG)

These lines correspond with lines seen on a display showing the warp fields

of Enterprise NX-01 and Columbia NX-02. (ENT: "Divergence")

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 According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, the space-time

continuum distortion based propulsive effect of a warp field is created by nesting several layers

of warp field energy together, with each new layer exerting force against its outermost neighbor.

The cumulative effect of this force results in the massive subspace field distortion that allows the

ship to reach faster than light speeds. The shape of the warp field produces the propulsive effect.

The forward lobe of the field is created with a frequency offset to create the field shape

asymmetry required to drive the ship forward.

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 CHAPTER III

Problem #1: How does the concepts of science-fiction movies are related to real concepts of

physics in time traveling?

Statement #1: There is a single fixed history, which is self-consistent and unchangeable.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel#Origins_of_the_concept

Weakest Strongest Conclusion

At present, there is no everything happens on a single It only shows that scenes

existence of a scientifically timeline which doesn't exhibited by science-fiction

detailed basis of time contradict itself and can't movies with regards to time

travelling. interact with anything travelling are possible since

potentially, explained by different

principles.
This can be simply achieved

by applying the Novikov self-

consistency principle, The

principle states that the

timeline is totally fixed, and

any actions taken by a time

traveler were part of history

all along, so it is impossible

for the time traveler to

"change" history in any way.

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Statement 2: The possibility of alternate timelines

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel#Origins_of_the_concept

Weakest Strongest Conclusion

It contradicts grandfather there are multiple It embraces the existence of

paradox and embracing further coexisting alternate histories, parallel universe in which

the existence of parallel so that when the traveler goes shows an identical dimension.

universe in which is still not back in time, she ends up in a Many theories was not

yet proven. new timeline where historical recognized and accepted

events can differ from the immediately. Therefore it is

timeline she came from, but just but right to assume that

her original timeline does not we really have another self in

cease to exist. another universe.

the traveler may arrive in an

already existing parallel

universe
QUESTION #2: How can time travel be possible?

STATEMENT #1: Faster-than-light travel may reach time travelling. It is that unusually

distorted regions ofspacetime might permit matter to reach distant locations faster than what it

would take light in the normal or undistorted spacetime.

REFERENCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light#FTL_phenomena

Weakest Point Strongest Point Conclusion

FTL travel requires infinite If we were able to find We know that it is not impossible

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 energy. Going beyond the speed objects that can withstand for an object to exist when it

of light in a homogeneous space infinite energy as it travels always moves faster than light,

would hence require more than beyond C, they might resolve when this happens, we can study

infinite energy, which is not the mysteries of time travel. the natures of object that can

generally considered to be a withstand C.

sensible notion.

QUESTION #3: What are wormholes?

STATEMENT #1: A hypothetical "tunnel" connecting two different points in spacetime in such

a way that a trip through the wormhole could take much less time than a journey between the

same starting and ending points in normal space.

REFERENCE: http://www.brianbosak.com/

Weakest Point Strongest Point Conclusion

The limitation on this time travel Distortions in space cause the Though it is still a theory, there is

into the past is that it would be points separated by the gap to a way to create a wormhole that

impossible to travel back to a bulge out and connect. connects two different points in

time. space-time.

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 CHAPTER IV

FORMULATED THEORY

A. DISCUSSION

The concepts of science-fictional movies and real concept of time travel have some sort

of similarities in regard to the way they travel in time. In "Alice in Wonderland’s Through the

Looking Glass," her looking glass was a loophole that connected her home in Oxford, with

wonderland while in real concept of time travel was the wormhole that are connected which

originate at different points in space and at different times.

B. SUMMARY

Time travel is no longer regarded as strictly science fiction. For years the concept of time

travel has been the topic of science fiction novels and movies, and has been pondered by great

scientists throughout history. Einstein’s theories of general and special relativity can be used to

actually prove that time travel is possible. Government research experiments have yielded

experimental data that conclusively illustrate that fast moving aircraft have traveled into the

future. This phenomenon is due to the principal of time dilation, which states that bodies moving

at high velocities experience a time that ticks slower than the time measured at zero velocity.

Phenomena known as wormholes and closed timelike curves are possible means of time

travel into the future and the past. Traveling into the past is a task which is much more difficult

than traveling into the future. This feat has not yet been accomplished -to our knowledge- and its

theory involves complicated scenarios of tears in four dimensional space-time, and traveling near

the speed of light. Obstacles which prevent our hubris attempts to cheat time include our inability
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to move even close to the speed of light, and finding a source of energy as powerful as an

exploding star. Simply because the proposal of time travel is backed by scientific theory, is no

reason to expect that it is easily achievable. Numerous arguments are proposed that that prevent

time travel into the past. Both common sense and scientific fact can be used to paint scenarios

that become serious obstacles. Not to fear, we have all the time in the world to overcome these

minor limitations.

C. CONCLUSION

We, the researchers, conclude that the study, “Validating Time Travel in Science Fiction

Through Time Warp and Multiple Dimensions” will give better understandings and explanations

on the misconceptions in science-fiction movies in time travelling through the principles of

physics in time warp.

D. RECOMMENDATION

We, the researchers recommend that this study must be studied further by having more

evidences regarding time travel. This study can give the explanations in relation to the

misconceptions of sci-fi movies in time travelling.

E. FORMULATED THEORY

Reaching another dimension, another time, will require the person or object to reach a

speed beyond c. In doing so, it will be impossible for it to reach that certain velocity without

giving into the consequences of such traveling alone. The way it will be able to reach its

destination will be because of a protective “bubble” or “shield” that will protect the object or

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person. This protection will shield off the effects of time warping, making time travel and

hopping from one dimension to another possible.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel

http://paranormal.about.com/od/timeanddimensiontravel/a/aa092004.htm

http://www.brianbosak.com/

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Warp_field

http://www.zamandayolculuk.com/Cetinbal/HTMLdosya1/wormholes.htm

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 Appendix A

Diagram 1 exhibits the classic image of a wormhole in curved space-

time. It seems obvious in this way that a wormhole is the shortest

distance between points A and B. In diagram 2, it might seem as

though the wormhole would be longer, but space-time behaves

differently in wormholes, so it would be the shortest distance, not

the straight line.

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