Apparating and the Theory of Relativity

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 185889

> Carol responds:
>  I don't know anything about the Theory of Relativity, so I snipped
> that part, but if your author is using this quotation to discuss
> Apparation, he's confusing two different modes of magical
> transportation. Although this description *does* sound as if it
> involves traveling through space--feet leaving the ground and later
> slamming into the ground, feeling others beside him, speeding 
forward
> "in a howl of wind and swirling color"--it applies only to portkeys.

Alla:

Right, definitely he makes an assumption that portkey transportation 
and apparition are all and the same, I suppose based on the claim 
that they are traveling by Portkey because kids cannot apparate yet.

That brings a question, do we know that they are not the same? I 
mean, of course there is a use of Portkey which is different, but 
what else?


Carol:
> Since Harry had never experienced Apparation as of GoF, your author 
is
> jumping the gun a bit, I think. 

Alla:

Right, the book was out before HBP and if there is an updated edition 
I am not buying it :-)

Carol:
>BTW, Floo powder also seems to involve
> moving through space. Apparition may or may not.

Alla:

Right, well I tend to think that it does involve moving through space 
but of course I cannot be sure.

Carol:
> Splinching--leaving body parts behind--may indicate that it does, 
but
> we'd need to closely examine a quotation from HBP or DH to be sure.
<SNIP>

Alla:

Here is citation from HBP from chapter four when Harry apparates with 
Dumbledore and to me it does imply moving through space.

"Harry felt Dumbledore's arm twist away from him and redoubled his 
grip; the next thing he knew, everything went black; he was being 
pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there 
were iron hands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being 
forced back into his head; his eardrums were being pushed deeper into 
his skull and then ---

He gulped great lungfuls of cold night air and opened his streaming 
eyes. He felt as though he had just been forced through a very tight 
rubber tube. It was a few seconds before he realized that Privet 
Drive had vanished." - HBP, ch.4, p.58, paperback, am.ed.

It is the feeling that he was being forced through tight rubber tube 
makes me think that the analogy about tunnels through time and space 
is actually quite appropriate IMO of course.

> Potioncat:
> It's all hooey, Alla. There was a similar documentary (stretching 
the 
> word, here) about the science of Star Trek.

Alla:

Heh, there is another essay there about Magic and science, this one 
does not say that apparating is possible in real life lol, it just 
says that this analogy (worm tunnels?) is not against theory of 
relativity, he even goes to say that the tunnels are created by 
magical means.

So, yeah, as I said, I think it is stretched and stretched, I was 
just curious as to even the remote possibility that there is 
something scientific in there, but yeah usually it is hooey :-)

Potioncat: 
> Does the book include creditionals for the different authors?

Alla:

Yes, they are mostly philosophy professors in different colleges.