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Top 5 SCI-FI TIME TRAVEL METHODS

Robert Lamb, HowStuffWorks.com
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Playing With Science

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Time travel has fascinated fiction writers for centuries, so much so that even scientists from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking have experimented and theorized if it's possible. Credit: iStockPhoto
 

There is no shortage of time machines in the world of science fiction.

You could probably name a bunch of them off the top of your head, from H.G. Wells' iconic creation to such mainstays as Dr. Who's Tardis and Dr. Brown's flux-capacitated DeLorean. But just how many fictional time machines can you explain?

In many works of fantasy and science fiction, the time machine is just a magical plot device. No actual science is thrown at the audience. Most of the time, no one asks for any. After all, you're probably not watching Life on Mars or Terminator Salvation for a lesson in theoretical physics.

Plus, if you're writing time-traveling fiction, then skipping the science spares you the embarrassment of getting something wrong. Isn't it enough that you described 1997 as being a world full of flying cars and busty android life partners?

Let's take a look at five examples of the plausible and ridiculous ways fictional TV and film characters have traveled through time.


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