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May 31, 2006
Time Travel
Are you moving?
Yes, this is a trick question. You may feel that you're sitting still, but you are moving. Why? Because Earth is taking you along for quite a ride. You're spinning at 0.5 kilometer per second as Earth revolves. At the same time, you're moving around the sun at 30 kilometers per second as Earth zooms along its orbit.
But it's all relative, as they say. Speed matters only if you can compare what's moving to something that's moving differently or not at all. Because you and Earth are sticking together, you have no way to compare your motion to Earth's. Just as well. Imagine how slow roller coasters would seem!
Time is moving you along as well. In the last challenge ("What's Time to You?"), you thought about how time feels and what clues you have concerning time. In a sense, the movement of time is relative, too. You don't notice it passing because you're stuck in "right now."
Speed and motion are all about going somewhere. What if we could go somewhere else in time?
Challenge: Traveling Time
Imagine someone has finally built a working time machine. It's a marvelous device that takes a person forward or backward in time, then returns that person safely to when he or she started. There's one small problem. The time machine works only once for any person. You can take a trip through time and return, but the machine will never work for you again after that.
On the bright side, this means a new driver for the time machine every—time! You decide to apply. It's a very odd application form. All it wants is your name and when you want to travel!
If you wish, send your application to us at scifizone@snkids.com. If we use yours, you may be eligible to win a prize! Please include your first name, age, city or town, and state. If you are under 13 years old, get your parent's permission to write to us.
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