Thread: Visions of the Future

How likely do you think it is that the Class I Impossiblities in Michio Kaku's Physics of the Impossible will come to be within the next 50 years?

For example:

- superconductors which will allow for hovercrafts/levitating Back to the Future-like skateboards due to electromagnetic properties

-light refraction for indivisibility (being able to refract different frequencies at same time)

-teleportation (of more than single atoms)

- superconductors which will allow for hovercrafts/levitating Back to the Future-like skateboards due to electromagnetic properties

Unlikely, if you recall back in the 80's people were convinced we would be star trekking around the universe in retro spaceships and lycra jumpsuits in the 21st century, Hovercrafts exist, but not in the way we imagine, and the futuristic hovercraft/boards are probably impossible, a wheelless skateboard that hovers at a constant foot high maybe, but flying all over and at varying altitudes is extremely unlikely

-light refraction for indivisibility (being able to refract different frequencies at same time)
already exists and was experimented with by the military, (as were camera suits to project a film of behind in front) failed because of a lack of refinement

-teleportation (of more than single atoms)
impossible going by current laws of physics, moving anything, even a single atom, from one point to another without a transfer of energy breaks several laws of physics, making it impossible, although current projects like the LHC may redefine the laws and make teleporting possible

Originally Posted by Booms

-light refraction for indivisibility (being able to refract different frequencies at same time)
already exists and was experimented with by the military, (as were camera suits to project a film of behind in front) failed because of a lack of refinement

A camera suit has nothing to do with refraction though. The problem with meta-materials for this kind of thing is that they only work on a very limited range of frequencies. The question was, whether we'd be able to make something that works on a broad range within 50 years. I have no answer myself.

impossible going by current laws of physics, moving anything, even a single atom, from one point to another without a transfer of energy

Also, if energy is lost as heat during teleportation it would not preserve the original state of being, I suppose. So losing energy= losing information... correct? And what you're talking about above is transferring excess energy from atom A to atom C, right? Because that would also alter the original state. So the '93 IBM EPR experiment was flawed? The cesium and photon entanglement experiment of 2006 as well?