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| FASTER THAN LIGHT |
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| HAVE WORMHOLE, WILL TRAVEL The thoughts, of Geoffrey Landis- One of Landis's specialties--more like a hobby really--is wormholes.The equations of Einstein's theory allow for distortions in space time--as the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time are referred to.Any piece of matter distorts space-time, and a really massive hunk of matter--say, Earth--distorts it so much that it produces then effect we call gravity. A decade ago, however, scientists began to entertain the idea that if you went on a amassing more and more matter is a smaller and smaller volume, you'd continue to distort space-time until, eventually, you might even rip a hole in it. Don't try too hard to imagine a hole in space-time--thinking in four dimensions will only give you a headache. Instead consider an analogy in two dimensions: imagine we live in a universe that is as flat as a piece of paper.If you want to get from point A to point B on the piece of paper, the quickest route is a straight line. Now think of the paper being stretchy, like rubber. A high concentration of matter distorts this flat rubber universe as would the tip of a pencil: push it into the rubber at point A and it makes a depression. The more matter the further into the rubber the pencil will go. Push it far enough and it pokes a hole. For this hole to be considered a wormhole, you need two more things. First you need to poke another hole in some other part of the rubber sheet--say, point B. And second, you need to fold the sheet so that the two holes line up right next to each other. That's a wormhole. Suddenly the quickest way between point A and point B is a straight line, but a much more briefer excursion through the wormhole. We aren't likely to build a wormhole. For one thing, it would take too much energy--as much as would be released by annihilating Jupiter, and even then you'd only end up with a wormhole three feet wide. (Never mind that it would take negative energy.) Discover Magazine |
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