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From: davidsen@steinmetz.UUCP (Davidsen)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.sci,net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Re: A Sane Man Proposes A Time Travel Experiment
Message-ID: <886@kbsvax.steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Aug-86 17:52:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: kbsvax.886
Posted: Mon Aug 11 17:52:42 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Aug-86 22:08:24 EDT
References: <289@axiom.UUCP> <5723@lanl.ARPA> <720@riccb.UUCP> <1037@mmm.UUCP>
Reply-To: davidsen@kbsvax.UUCP (Davidsen)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 27
Xref: mnetor net.physics:2656 net.sci:1193 net.philosophy:2260

In article <1037@mmm.UUCP> cipher@mmm.UUCP (Andre Guirard) writes:
>But you _could_ prove it!  You need a non-deterministic random-number
>generator, one based on atomic decay for instance.  Use this device to
>generate a random number in the range 0 to 99.  Then, if the number is
>not 42, use your experimental time-machine to reset time to just before
>the number was generated.  Repeat this procedure 10,000 times.  If the
>time-machine works, you will observe that the random-number generator
>generated the same number, 42, 10,000 times.

I'm missing somthing? If you "reset time" to just before the number is
generated, don't you reset the conditions too? Wouldn't you get the
same number every time (and decide to reset time, and ... DON'T!). If
you do what I think you mean, events will happen the same way, since
you have changed nothing, including the next number to come out of the
atomic generator.


-- 
	-bill davidsen

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"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward"