time-travel paradox

A time-travel paradox occurs when a person travels to the past and alters an event, creating a contradiction. The most famous example is the grandfather paradox, where a traveler kills their own grandfather, preventing their own birth and thus their ability to travel back in time.

Science fiction often resolves these paradoxes by introducing the concept of a multiverse, where traveling to the past creates an alternate timeline or parallel universe. This allows for changes to occur without affecting the traveler's original reality. Stories explore themes of alternate histories and the consequences of altering past events, even with the best intentions. The twin paradox in physics, while not a true paradox, also highlights the counterintuitive nature of time as described by special relativity.123