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Work with a partner. Answer these questions:
1. Is it illegal to break the laws of physics? Can you give an example of one law of physics?
2. Do you think time travel is possible? What do you know about Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity?
3. If you could open a portal to the past, where and when would you go?
4. What about a shortcut to the future- would you jump ahead in time? Why (not)?
5. Look at these two images. How are they connected to the idea of time travel?
A. Match these words ( Black hole, Wormhole, Dark energy, Quantum mechanics) with a definition:
1. a theory that explains the behaviour of elementary particles, both separately and in groups
2. a theoretical form of energy postulated to act in opposition to gravity and to occupy the entire universe, accounting for most of the energy in it and causing its expansion to accelerate.
3. a region in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape
4. a special type of structure that some scientists think might exist, connecting parts of space and time that are not usually connected
C. Play a fun game! Falling into a Black Hole!
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole-boardgame/en/
Video
A. Watch the first part of the video (0.00-1.00) and fill in these sentences:
Time travel is 1 _________________________________________
Einstein’s 2 ______________________________________ claims that the stronger the gravity the slower 3 ________________ moves.
This means that by linking two parts of 4 ____________________ that have different gravity you would in theory be able to travel back and forward in time between the two planets.
Gravity is the strongest close to a black hole, which means that time moves slower close to the black hole than it does on 5__________________________.
The problem is that right now scientists don’t know how to get space explorers from Earth to the black hole 6___________________ because they have not been able to build anything that travels faster than the 7___________________________.
Wormholes are claimed to be the only 8_______________________ that would allow people to travel back and forth in time.
B. Watch the next part of the video (1.00-1.57) and fill in this diagram that summarises how to build a time machine.
C. Watch the last part of the video and take notes in order to answer the following questions:
1. According to the video, how far back in the past would a traveller be able to go?
2. How much energy would a time machine actually require?
3. What is the Grandfather Paradox?
4. In your opinion, will time travel ever happen?