There is a super classic type of sci-fi film, which should not be missed by fans who have infinite curiosity and desire to explore the universe. For director Nolan, this film is also a masterpiece of his works. The scene at the end of the film, where Anne Hathaway takes off her mask on another planet and takes her first breath of fresh air, is enough to impress me. Today, I want to talk about some difficult concepts and details in Interstellar.
1. Explanation of Three Concepts
① Gravitational slingshot effect:
The spaceship uses the gravitational field of the planet to achieve acceleration, and the planet's gravity ejects the spaceship like a slingshot. In the film, they let the black hole draw them close to the calculated critical point, and the spaceship ignites instantly, thus using the gravitational slingshot effect to shoot the spaceship to a new planet.
② Spiral downward
In the film, the spaceship makes a spiral downward on the vast sea because the distance will be longer than the straight downward, which can extend the time of air resistance to the spaceship, thus slowing down the falling speed.
③ Singularity
A singularity is a point of infinitely big density and infinitely small volume, which is a form of the universe that existed before the Big Bang. It has a series of strange properties, infinitely big density of matter, infinitely curved space-time and infinitelyclose to zero entropy value, etc.
2. The most brain-burning space-time paradox in the whole film
Any sci-fi film about time travel can't avoid the discussion of space-time paradox, let alone Interstellar. If you think about it with three-dimensional causality, you will inevitably fall into a cycle of space-time paradox. For example, the earthlings are saved because people in the future help to place the wormholes, and people can place wormholes in the future because the earthlings are saved and multiplied into a higher dimensional civilization. It will push you into the "Mobius Band".
In this way, the plot seems to be based on bugs, but this is not in line with Nolan's professional ethics. Is this really an unsolvable space-time paradox? Don’t forget to like this article and follow me before reading on!
In fact, what the director shows is a five-dimensional space, not a simple and linear time travel. If the time in the three-dimensional space is an irreversible straight line, then the time in the four-dimensional space should be a plane, and the time in the five-dimensional space is in the state of a cube.
That is to say, the time in the five-dimensional space can be seen and touched, and be shaped at will. For example, a large amount of time can be divided into small pieces and thrown in different directions. As for how to jump out of the three-dimensional causality, the director has made it clear that it is Murphy's Law: "whatever can happen, will happen".
Here, I want to analyze three points:
①Three-dimensional time is a line, which is not applicable to high-dimensional space-time.
② There is no concept of parallel universe in the film.
③ The timeline does not allow paradoxes.
To understand the five-dimensional space-time relationship, you only need to know that what has happened is what should have happened and is bound to happen.
For example, in the plot of Murphy's childhood, on the basis of the linear causality, one could easily interpret it as Cooper traveling into the future to send a message to his daughter in the past.
However, this is not the case. No matter in which dimension, human beings cannot change history. Although Murphy met the future male protagonist as a child, but this itself is part of history. This has happened in the past, so in the future this is bound to happen, then things should have happened this way.
For future humans, because higher dimensional humans can see the past and future of lower dimensional humans, what they do is not to change history, but to change the direction of the trajectory by placing a critical event at a certain point in history.
In order to explain the space-time paradox, many people will think from the perspective of parallel space-time. But in fact, Nolan did not set up a parallel space-time at all. It is unnecessary for future humans to save their parallel space-time. The story of Interstellar takes place in a single space-time.
3. A full analysis of the brain-burning details
① Why does the aircraft in the film keep spinning in space?
The centripetal force generated by rotation is used to simulate the gravity of the earth. In the process of rotation, the spaceship will generate an inertial centrifugal force, which can replace gravity. This can make astronauts feel like walking on the ground in space.
For interstellar navigation, gravity is not only a need for comfort, but also a concern for life and health. Long-term weightlessness will bring astronauts muscle atrophy, osteoporosis and a series of other problems. Therefore, it is necessary to create "artificial gravity".
② What’s Professor Brand’s equation? Before he dies, why does he say he tells a big lie?
Due to the extremely serious blight on the earth, in order to avoid extinction, humans need to leave the earth and look for new habitable planets in the universe. To this end, Professor Brand has developed two plans. Plan A: to take all humans away from the earth and send them to other habitable planets for survival. Plan B: astronauts who go out to find habitable planets will not come back. The fertilized human eggs they carry will start a new life on other planets, and humans on Earth can only emerge and perish of themselves.
Plan A is certainly the best choice, but to achieve it, they need to solve a huge problem, that is, how to transfer all humans to space? Some years ago, a gravitational anomaly caught the attention of Professor Brand, who realized that gravity could be controlled, so that it would not be a problem to send all humans and the giant space station into space.
After years of working on his gravity equation, Professor Brand finally understands half of it. Unable to reconcile quantum mechanics and relativity, he needs data from the interior of the black hole and understands the singularity to solve the other half. However, the singularity at the center of the black hole is not exposed in space-time, so the internal data of the black hole cannot be obtained, which means that the gravity equation cannot be completely solved, so controlling gravity cannot be realized.
Professor Brand has known about it, but he chooses to hide it, knowing full well that it would be unrealistic for humans to band together and sacrifice themselves and their families to save everyone else, so he lies. From the beginning to the end, Plan A is impossible to achieve, but instead, it is a cover for secretly realizing Plan B.
Of course, it's still uncertain whether Plan B can be realized in the end, but it is better to let his daughter take a risk outside than to wait to die, which is the meaning of the poem that Professor Brand has been repeated. Eventually, however, Cooper is able to enter the black hole safely and transmit the singularity data to his daughter. Finally, Murphy solves the gravity equation and saves the whole human race.
③ How does Cooper decipher the sand coordinates?
Murphy always believes that there is an invisible person in her room who sends her information. Cooper doesn't believe it at first. Until the day of the sandstorm, the father and daughter witness the vision of dust falling in the room at the same time. Later, he finds that it is caused by gravity anomaly. He thinks of binary when Murphy mentions Morse code, and then gets the geographical coordinates of NASA.
Specifically, the coordinates are represented by sand with different thicknesses, that is, binary code, thick line=1 and thin line=0. Since geographical coordinates are useful, Murphy's "stay" should also have a clear purpose, so she tries to use this information to make her father stay.
4. Interpretation of several details
The role of the drone at the beginning of the film:
① To explain the background: The Space Agency has been disbanded for 10 years;
② To show Cooper’s identity: a high-end scientific and technological personnel;
③ To indicate that there is gravity anomaly near Cooper's home.
Drone
Cooper finds a drone when driving his daughter to school. He grabs it and removes its battery. Murphy says unhappily, "Can't we just let it go?"
I think that the drone symbolizes Cooper himself. The drone has been flying silently for 10 years. No one knows whether it would fly forever if Cooper doesn't find it.
The drone is lonely and helpless. It's trying to look for something, which makes it romantic yet desolate. The same goes for Cooper and his team's space adventure. After they pass through the wormhole, there is no news. According to Earth time, they have spent 23 years on the Miller's Planet alone. As time goes on, they become memories.
His son Tom says in the video message: "I guess I'm letting you go." This is an important clue, echoing Murphy's previous words. They may have died long ago and never come back, so people on the earth have to let them go. The fate of Cooper and the drone is highly coincident, and the drone may just be a symbol of himself.
Lazarus mission
Cooper and his team's space adventure is called Lazarus mission by Professor Brand. Lazarus is a resurrected man recorded in the Bible. He is dead, but Jesus asserts that he would rise again. Four days later, he actually comes out of the cave, proving the miracle of Jesus. This indicates that Cooper who has entered the black hole will survive, and mankind will survive.
The Three Planets
Miller: The gravity of this planet is greater than that of the earth, the atmosphere is thin, and the surface of the whole planet is full of water, symbolizing the ancient earth before the birth of life.
Mann: High atmospheric ammonia concentration and frozen ground symbolize the return of the earth to the Ice Age after destruction.
Edmunds: the perfect planet that is most suitable for human survival and has not been destroyed, which is the symbol of the future planet.
5. What do we really love about science fiction movies?
Science and technology are based on irrefutable and abstract scientific principles, so most people can only watch from afar. Science fiction movies break this barrier and build a bridge between the public and the mysteries of science.
In my opinion, people are fascinated by science fiction movies for the following reasons. In addition to intuitive aesthetic feelings, such as the disillusionment of history, the insignificance of destiny, and the lost years, there are deeper things, like inside the cold armor and merciless technology monsters, those soft and tender human nature, and the light of hope in the desperate situation of life and death.
Excellent science fiction movies enable people to feel the grandeur of the universe, life and other topics, allowing people to temporarily withdraw from the clutter of life, look up at the stars and think about life.
Well, if you have a different point of view, leave it in the comments and let's talk about it!
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