Helicopter Ride & Time

[BomberDawg95]

So a line that Sayid said at the beginning of the Episode intrigued me. Its his reference to time, and how it relates to the helicopter ride.

Sayid: "So then explain to me how we took off at dusk and then arrive in the middle of the day?"

Obviously the flight was a short one. So, with that said, it appears as if the Island is operating on a different type of time then the rest of the world. The question is, how is that affecting the people on the Island and how can we figure out how fast/slow the Island is traveling through time.

[robert]

If the helicopter ride was short, but for the people on the island, lots of time had passed, (it was dusk when they left but daylight when they arrived on the ship) then it would seem that time on the island is moving faster than time outside the island. Where Jack and the others thought they were gone a really long time while in real time, they were only gone 20 minutes or so. If that is the case, then they really haven't been missing for as long as they think. It could be they are missing only for a few days, not 3 months.

[BomberDawg95]

This seems to speak of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

As something moves closer and closer to the speed of light, time slows down. Perhaps the Island is 'moving' through time at a faster pace then the rest of the world, but time on the Island itself slows down.

My brain hurts...

[LostFreak21]

Remember how Dan said something about the light on the Island?

[mahalo_dude]

Remember how Dan said something about the light on the Island?


Yeah. it doesn't "scatter" right, or something.

[TuesdaySmith]

Light rays become polarized when near a strong magnet.. this is something that Michael Farady proved.. I love physics and this aspect of the show is really exciting to me!

The island is definitely operating on the same time as the rest of the world.. We've been shown this.. Even in this most recent episode, it's Dec. 24th 2004.

I think the time change occurs when they travel through the magnetic field. Another thing that Faraday (the real one) proved was the a changing magnetic field produces and electrical current.. like the electrical storms they met on the helicopter!

[Snape]

This seems to speak of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

As something moves closer and closer to the speed of light, time slows down. Perhaps the Island is 'moving' through time at a faster pace then the rest of the world, but time on the Island itself slows down.

My brain hurts...

To be clear about relativity - when you see something moving near the speed of light (this is real life relativity btw), it appears to move slower in its activities - i.e. if you observe a watch moving near the speed of light, it will take slightly longer than a minute in the observer's time for the second hand of the watch to make a 60-second circuit around the clockface.

Of course the converse is true - which doesn't make any sense in this context (if they were in a wormhole in the helicopter) because they would perceive the outside world to be going near the speed of light and thus ITS time would be slower, which is opposite of what Sayid observed.

Here's some light reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox

[rosky17]

Time is constant ? The calender on the boat and the phone call take palce on X-mas eve Dec 24, The losties are at least 90+ days on the island and there plane crashed on Sep 22. IT has to due with time travel, My Brain hurts from this stuff

[Snape]

Time is constant ? The calender on the boat and the phone call take palce on X-mas eve Dec 24, The losties are at least 90+ days on the island and there plane crashed on Sep 22. IT has to due with time travel, My Brain hurts from this stuff

Excellent catch - I'm shocked this is the first time someone's brought it up in over 2 hours.

We do know they're on day...90-100 or so on the island, and Sept. 22 and Dec. 24 are only separated by 63 days.

[TheCAD]

If they are 93/94 days in that puts them at the same time as the boat(dec 24th).

Which is what doesn't make any sense. If time is going 10 times slower on the island than on the freighter why is it dec 24th in both places?
The islanders perceive they have been there around 90 days(I don't know exactly...but just assume 94 for simplicity).
The only way this makes any sense is if the following happened:

When they came to the island they actually traveled back in time. Therefore if they had left for the freighter on any other day they have gone back to a date before the day they perceived it to be.

The Freighter people obviously knew about the "island time". So they planned to show up when the island time and real time intersected(which would only happen once).

Basically I'm saying this:
You have real time which is normal speed.

You have island time which is X times slower than normal. However, island time is(or was) behind also.

Now that it has caught up the outside world will experience weeks/months while the island experiences Hours/days.

I know this seems odd, but its the only thing I can think of that is consistent with the information provided.

[TuesdaySmith]

Excellent catch - I'm shocked this is the first time someone's brought it up in over 2 hours.

We do know they're on day...90-100 or so on the island, and Sept. 22 and Dec. 24 are only separated by 63 days.

I think you forgot a month.. 9 days in Sept. + 31 days in Oct. + 30 days in Nov. + 24 days in Dec = 94 days.

The losties are in the middle of their 94th day, the same time as the rest of the world.

[BomberDawg95]

I'm not going to disagree with you there. I really think that time on the Island and off are moving at exactly the same 'speed'. However, the transition between the two generates some overall differences between them. Obviously, judging by the time dialiation experiment done by Daniel, and now by Sayid's observation of the difference in time there is some kind of difference. The question is: is time inside of Island's sphere of influence moving "slower" then that of the outside world (or vice versa) despite no noticeable difference in the rate in which its moving within.

I really don't have the scientific expertice or experience to come up with a reliable theory about this subject, however, the writer's have made a point to show us that there is some dicernable difference in time between the Island and the rest of the world.

[TuesdaySmith]

Oh, I just posted about the magnetic field and what I think it means. It's not a complete theory, but it's something I was thinking about for the last couple weeks, looking into Michael Faraday.

[NZlostie]

If the helicopter ride was short, but for the people on the island, lots of time had passed, (it was dusk when they left but daylight when they arrived on the ship) then it would seem that time on the island is moving faster than time outside the island. Where Jack and the others thought they were gone a really long time while in real time, they were only gone 20 minutes or so. If that is the case, then they really haven't been missing for as long as they think. It could be they are missing only for a few days, not 3 months.

This would explain a few things. Claire went into early labour she was only 8 months (but a crash could do that among other things.

and well as for food, eating lots would happen too, and when you put a lot of food away in a "short" time well that would explain why some people are still a little larger than life (so to speak) no-one named in particular

[islelost]

so time is consistent on the island and on the freighter and the difference is time travel. So it is years not hours and minutes? Penny said was looking for Desmond for 3 years when he was gone for 8. The problem is we dont know how much time traveling they are doing? So when they leave the island they are going into the present. The island is the past. So that could be why Jack looks so old when they get back. Maybe that is why they live through the crash cause really they are going back in time and they are not dead in the past. Hey that could be why Lock can walk cause he did walk at one time. (in the past). So Desmonds reaction was bringing him back and forth. But that leaves more questions and we only have guesses. Boy am I guessing.

[Devi]

Penny did not start looking for Desmond until the boat race.

What about the "other" dude who never ages? What's up with that?

[Atlanta Rain]

Well after reading ThCAD's post had me thinking about the one guy's reaction to frank landing the chopper. I cant quote him at the moment but it was in the lines of what are you doing back so quick. so maybe going into the island time does go back and when you leave in the right direction you come back to the right time. If you dont go the right way...you can get mixed up like desmond and the comm. officer!

[LostFreak21]

When they go back in time do you think it is always eight years? Desmond told Penny I will call you in eight years.

[agmic]

When they go back in time do you think it is always eight years? Desmond told Penny I will call you in eight years.

cause in the past it was 1996. Now is 2004. ummm that's 8 years in my math......

[lost083]

Ok wasn't it storming when Niaomi landed on the island. I mean her helicopter did crash, the plane crashed, when Faraday and the other new characters were coming to the island they almost crashed and were spread out. When Sayid and Desmond were leaving the Island it was stormy and they could have easily crashed. Theres definetly something there.

Maybe the heli pilot knows how to fly on and off the island or knows some trick. Like the coordinates he was suppose to fly were probably the same coordinates Ben told Micheal. So if they travel outside those coordinates they will never get off the island like when desmond tried to leave drunk on the sail boat.

[bunnydixon]

there is an interesting thread on time in gen discussion and a few ideas over the helicopter.

i cant really give an answer but it does seem as if there is something they have to pass through in which time is not quite in rythmn with whats on either side of it.

[agmic]

Ok wasn't it storming when Niaomi landed on the island. I mean her helicopter did crash, the plane crashed, when Faraday and the other new characters were coming to the island they almost crashed and were spread out. When Sayid and Desmond were leaving the Island it was stormy and they could have easily crashed. Theres definetly something there.

Maybe the heli pilot knows how to fly on and off the island or knows some trick. Like the coordinates he was suppose to fly were probably the same coordinates Ben told Micheal. So if they travel outside those coordinates they will never get off the island like when desmond tried to leave drunk on the sail boat.

Though the coordinates that Ben told Michael was, I think was 325, but on the compass of the helicopter was on 305.......

[kateisgr8t]

Island time is slower than real time, this explains why Aaron is a baby on the island and 3-4 years old in the end of last episode. It seems to me that when on the Island the aging process slows down only for people born on the island, almost like a fountain of youth (ie. Richard Alpert) but when Aaron is taken off the island he becomes future Aaron. I thought all night about the days being the same, that is something that I can't put my finger on.

[LostFreak21]

cause in the past it was 1996. Now is 2004. ummm that's 8 years in my math......

Stay up too late last night and are a little grouchy;). What I was saying was is it a random amount of years when people go back. Just making conversation my friend.

[lost083]

I just got to thinking about the earlier episodes of lost when sayid pulls in a radio station and they listen to some old music. Maybe this has something to do with the time constraint or its clues about it. I have nothing to back this up just an idea.