What you're speaking of is the "zig-zag world line" effect... a possible explanation to the spontaneous appearance and annihilation of particle/antiparticle pairs. This was offered by Feynman, where he said that a particle like an electron, may momentarily travel faster than the speed of light and back in time, only to reverse course through time a fraction of a second later (a very small fraction!), and go forward in time again at sub light-speed. When the Feynman diagram is drawn out on paper, it appears to be a particle zig-zagging through time and space. The catch is that, as Feynman put it, we don't perceive the whole system as being one particle. We perceive it as being three particles; the initial electron, and two mutual anti-partners (the anti-partners being the one that travels back in time and the one perceived as the initial electron). On the diagram, Feynman treats the particle that goes back in time as a separate antiparticle that goes forward in time and "backwards in space" to annihilate with the initial electron and release radiation. All we see is the electron that reversed its course to go forward in time once again, and shot off away from this whole shenanigans. For all practical purposes, we say that the initial electron never did anything odd.... only that it traveled in a straight line amidst spontaneously created particles that annihilate very quickly. Since all this happens in such a brief period of time, nature never had any time to "notice"...ok ok, WE never had any time to notice. This is what I initially was explaining on uncertainty... the fact that particles can be created and destroyed due to uncertainties in energy over brief durations of time. The vacuum is teeming with these particles.

• When "time" no longer mean it. - alexander - October 4, 2001 - 22:49 UTC
  • The Einstein-Minkowski Spacetime - luis_hamburgh - October 4, 2001 - 22:56 UTC
    • Minkovsky time. - alexander - October 5, 2001 - 20:30 UTC
      • Alex = L. Ron Hubbard??? - luis_hamburgh - October 6, 2001 - 01:37 UTC
        • By we I mean theoretical physicists. - alexander - October 8, 2001 - 18:48 UTC
          • PhD in BS Detection - luis_hamburgh - October 8, 2001 - 23:15 UTC
            • Luis, unlike you, I do research and teach physics too. - alexander - October 10, 2001 - 04:22 UTC
              • I took P.E. once... does that count? - luis_hamburgh - October 10, 2001 - 23:02 UTC
                • Which achievment? - alexander - October 15, 2001 - 19:59 UTC
                  • Certainly none of yours - luis_hamburgh - October 16, 2001 - 20:05 UTC
                    • LOL on Luis. - alexander - October 17, 2001 - 21:38 UTC
    • A Clockwork Continuum - muqua - October 6, 2002 - 07:42 UTC
      • -clones - bkparque - October 11, 2002 - 21:21 UTC
  • Alex... - smartguy - October 5, 2001 - 01:38 UTC
    • Mark, define "motin trough time". - alexander - October 8, 2001 - 19:01 UTC
      • I read it in a book... - smartguy - October 8, 2001 - 20:46 UTC
        • Perhaps Stephen Hawkings imaginary time idea.... - smartguy - October 8, 2001 - 21:10 UTC
        • Correction for Mark. - alexander - October 10, 2001 - 17:28 UTC
          • Miscomunication and interpretation, not a mistake on my behalf. - smartguy - October 10, 2001 - 18:46 UTC
            • Mark, universe behaves according to math, not vice versa. - alexander - October 10, 2001 - 20:16 UTC
              • I appologize for the remark I made... - smartguy - October 10, 2001 - 23:19 UTC
              • Oh yeah... - smartguy - October 10, 2001 - 23:28 UTC
            • You might find these useful.. - bruce - October 10, 2001 - 22:20 UTC
              • Thanx Bruce...(nt) - smartguy - October 10, 2001 - 22:39 UTC
  • Briefly, Alex.... - dolphin - October 6, 2001 - 10:20 UTC
• Interesting thought..... - smartguy - October 5, 2001 - 18:48 UTC