Lesson Plan
Bending Time and Space:
Dr. Ronald Mallett and his Quest to Build a Time Machine
“The power of our imagination is greater than the power of our intellect.”
~ Albert Einstein
Dr. Ron Mallett writing down a key equation from his theory of time travel. The equation represents
Mallett’s prediction based on Einstein’s general theory of relativity that space can be twisted by a
circulating beam of light. Image courtesy of Dr. Ronald Mallett.
Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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Grade Level(s): 3-12 (See below)
Subject(s): History, Physics
In-Class Time: See below
Prep Time: 15-20 min
Activity One: Meet Dr. Ron Mallett, Time Traveler (In-class Time: 90 minutes class time, one week to
read book)
Grade Level: 9-12
Activity Two: Understanding Spacetime, “The Fabric of the Cosmos” (In-class Time: 30 minutes)
Grade Level: 6-12
Activity Three: Einstein’s Twin Paradox Thought Experiment (In-class Time: 90 minutes)
Grade Level: 6-12
Activity Four: Design Your Own Imaginary Time Machine! (In-class Time: 90 minutes)
Grade Level: 3-6
Materials
Activity One: Meet Dr. Ron Mallett, Time Traveler
• Copies of Ron Mallet’s Time Traveler
• Printouts of comic book templates (For an online template,
visit http://www.printablepaper.net/category/comics)
Activity Two: Understanding Spacetime, “The Fabric of the Cosmos” (30-45 minutes)
• A large bed sheet or blanket
• A few balls of various weights and sizes (basketball, soccer ball, marbles, etc.)
Activity Two: Einstein’s Twin Paradox Thought Experiment (90 minutes)
• Just your mind!
Activity Three: Build Your Own Time Machine! (90 minutes)
• Large cardboard boxes
• Gold, silver, and other metallic paints (be careful of using these with younger children)
• Art supplies for decorating time machines (markers, glitter, tin foil, etc.)
• Black construction paper (other colors may be used)
• Old phones or old electronics (broken keyboards, gears, broken monitors, etc.)
Objective
In this lesson plan, students will learn about physicist Ronald Mallett and his work on making time travel
a reality. Additional activities introduce students to some of the physics behind time travel such as time
dilation and spacetime.
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Introduction
Time travel most commonly lives in the world of science fiction and fantasy. But, can time travel be a
reality? What is the science behind time travel? While most people know the name of the famous
physicist Albert Einstein and his iconic hairstyle, many don’t realize that Einstein actually developed the
concepts that might make time travel possible. Professor Ronald “Ron” Mallett is one of those few
people who have delved into the world of Einstein and has spent his life working to make time travel a
reality. Dr. Mallett was born on March 30, 1945 in Roaring Springs, Pennsylvania and grew up in the
Bronx in New York City. When he was 10 years old, his father died suddenly from a heart attack at the
age of 33. Devastated and heartbroken, Mallett discovered a comic book version of H.G. Well’s “Time
Machine” one year later and decided that he would learn how to travel through time so he could see his
father again.
His drive to build a time machine did not wane as he grew older though he came to realize that in order
to achieve his dream, he would need to learn science. A copy of the book The Universe and Dr. Einstein
by Lincoln Kinnear Barnett piqued his curiosity about physics. It seemed that Einstein, a man whom
many respected as a genius, confirmed that time was relative and that theoretically, one could travel
backwards and forwards through time. Einstein was also an outspoken advocate against racism in the
United States. Inspired by Einstein’s theories, Mallett decided to pursue physics in graduate school and
in 1973, he received a Ph.D. in Physics from Pennsylvania State University at the age of 28. When he
graduated, he was one of only 79 African Americans who had received their Ph.D. in Physics (of a total of
about 20,000 in the United States as of 1973). Attending university during the turbulent years of the
1960s and 1970s, he also was conscious of the racial barriers he faced. Interestingly, in college he was
approached by two FBI agents who attempted to recruit him to become an informant, reporting to them
about the activities of the Black student movement at Penn State. He refused and although the officers
warned him that they would be watching his career, the incident made Mallett even more determined
to succeed in physics.
After two years of working in industry, Dr. Mallet became a professor of physics at the University of
Connecticut in 1975. In this new position, Mallett was careful not to share his dream of building a time
machine. As he writes in his autobiography, “While in physics creativity and strange ideas are often
encouraged – black holes are very strange and by definition invisible objects, but research on them has
long been considered legitimate – time travel was deemed in the 1970s as too extreme a subject for
serious scientific inquiry.” (Mallett 2006, 103) For several decades, Mallett kept quiet about his
intentions as he advanced the academic ladder. It was not until 2002, when he essentially “came out of
the time travel closet,” as he puts it. At the International Association for Relativistic Dynamics Third
Biennial Conference, he delivered a talk on his theory of time travel. At the talk, renowned physicist
Bryce Dewitt told Mallett that though he may never see his father again, his father would have been
proud of his work. Dewitt’s words had an impact on Mallett. Since that talk, he discovered a crucial
limitation in his theory – though one could send a subatomic particle back in time with his machine, it
could travel no farther than the creation of that machine. Mallett did not give up, but instead continued
his work. He carries on his research in time travel and his teaching at the University of Connecticut to
this day.
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Instructions/Activities
Activity One: Meet Dr. Ron Mallett, Time Traveler
The life story of Ron Mallett is an inspiring tale of tragedy, creativity, and inspiration. His memoir, Time
Traveler, makes a great read for a high school class. In it, Mallett weaves together scientific theory,
politics and historical context, and his own touching life story.
Assign students to read Time Traveler, and write a book report and/or take notes on the scientific
concepts that Mallett mentions for discussion in class. Alternatively, students can create a comic book
strip based on Mallett’s life. A number of printable comic book templates can be found for free online.
For a few examples, see the Additional Resources section.
A number of multimedia resources including video and audio clips are available that feature Dr. Mallett
discussing his life story and his research. See the Recommended Resources and Additional Resources
sections for suggestions.
Activity Two: Understanding Spacetime, “The Fabric of the Cosmos”
We usually think of space and time as separate entities. But Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist from
Germany and one of his professors, Hermann Minkowski, thought differently. Minkowski is called “the
father of spacetime.” His proposed that space and time are not separate but connected in a kind of
fabric, “spacetime,” within which the entire universe exists. What is “spacetime”? The following
activity will introduce students to the idea that spacetime is like a fabric and demonstrate how matter,
including planets, move in spacetime.
1. Have students hold sides of a blanket taut. This can be done as a class or in small groups. The
blanket represents space-time, the fabric of the universe.
2. Have one student place various weight balls at different parts of the blanket. Each of the balls
can be considered a planet with a different mass. The heavier the ball, the more it will pull
down on the fabric. If you place a light ball close to a heavy ball,, the light ball will be pulled in
towards the heavy ball. This shows how matter affects spacetime by causing gravitational pull.
Here’s another way to think about spacetime.
Time
Draw the following diagram on the board:
Space
We usually think about things in terms of three dimensions (3-D). However, Minkowski argues we
should think about things in terms of four dimensions – the three dimensions of space and time and the
fourth dimension of time. If you think about it, everything happens in a particular place and time.
Instead of saying “where” and “when” we can say “wherewhen.”
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In 1905, called the “Miracle Year,” Einstein published several important papers. One of them was his
special theory of relativity which provided the first theoretical basis for time travel. Ten years later, in
1915, he published his general theory of relativity. Einstein argued in the general theory of relativity that
gravity affects light and light can affect gravity. Gravity can pull on light, bending it toward a massive
body like the sun, in a similar way that a heavy object like a ball can bend the shape of the fabric of a
sheet that it's placed on. Likewise, light can also affect gravity. Observational evidence of Einstein's
general theory of relativity occurred in 1919 when the British astronomer Arthur Eddington observed
the bending of starlight coming near the sun during a total eclipse.
In his special theory of relativity, Einstein showed that time is not absolute, but relative. He found that
when objects move faster, approaching the speed of light, time actually slows down. This phenomenon
is called time dilation. In the 1970s, scientists did experiments on the effects of speed on time. This was
called the Hafele-Keating Experiment. In this experiment, one atomic clock was stationed at the United
States Naval Observatory while four other atomic clocks were placed on airplanes that flew around the
Earth twice – two eastward and two westward. When the airplanes landed, scientists compared the
time on the moving atomic clocks with the atomic clock that stayed on earth. They found that the clocks
on the planes had actually slowed down in comparison to the clock at the Naval Observatory. The
experiment confirmed that time can actually slow down as we approach the speed of light, the universal
“speed limit.”
Activity Three: Einstein’s Twin Paradox Thought Experiment
Before beginning actual experiments, scientists often conduct what are called “thought experiments.”
Imagine how it would feel to walk into a wall. Ouch! Now, you don’t need to actually walk into the wall
in order to imagine that it would hurt. This is an example of a thought experiment, which might
eventually lead to a physical experiment. Einstein conducted a number of thought experiments as he
developed his ideas of general and special relativity. One of them was called the “twin paradox” and
relates to travelling through time.
Imagine two identical twins named Ein and Stein living on Earth. Ein is very adventurous and wants to
explore outer space while Stein feels settled and wants to stay on Earth. One day, Ein decides to leave
and explore deep space. He hugs Stein goodbye and embarks on his journey. Ein travels through space
for five years before he begins to miss his brother. He decides to turn around and spends another five
years returning to Earth. When he arrives, he rushes to find Stein so he can tell him all about his
explorations. When he reaches Stein’s home, he knocks on the door. An old man with a walker answers
the door. “Where’s my brother, Stein?” asks Ein. “Ein? It’s me, Stein! You look so young!” It turns out
that while Ein had aged 10 years in his travels through space, Stein had aged 50 years on Earth.
How is this possible? Well, according to Einstein, motion affects time. As something or someone travels
closer to the speed of light, time seems to dilate relative to those at different speeds. Because Ein was
moving closer to the speed of light, time moved slower for him in relation to his brother.
For an animated video explaining the twin paradox,
visit http://www.neatorama.com/2011/02/20/einsteins-twin-paradox-simplified/#!bHA7Mo.
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Activity Four: Build Your Own Time Machine
As a final activity, students in groups of 3-4 can build their own time machines. This activity would work
best for small children in elementary or middle school who could fit inside a large box.
In order to learn about design and planning, students can start designing their time machines on graph
paper. All of their time machines will need to have some crucial elements, but the design is up to them:
• An entrance and window
• A control pad that will allow them to select the year they want to travel to
• A lever or button that will start and stop the machine
• A communications device
Anything the students can think of that they want to add should be incorporated. Students should
design their time machine and label the sizes and colors of the different elements on the graph paper,.
Once they’ve completed their designs, students can paint the outside of the boxes with metallic paints.
A door/entrance and windows can be constructed from black (or other colors) construction paper.
Additional shapes and symbols can be cut and glued to the outside. Students can paste numbers on the
inside in the design that they devised. They can also use old electronic parts to embellish or create
controls on their time machine.
These time machines can be used for history lessons if students want to travel back in time and
experience life in different eras.
Required/Recommended Reading and Resources
Books:
• Ronald L. Mallett, Time Traveler: A Scientist’s Personal Mission to make Time Travel a Reality
(New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006; Basic Books, 2009)
Multimedia:
• Dr. Mallett’s website: http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~mallett/main/main.htm.
• Ronald Mallett, "How To Time Travel," YouTube, THINKR, 18 July
2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP8OWIY39PA. (6 min, 29 sec)
Ron Mallett discusses the core of his theory of time travel and his life story.
• Ronald Mallett, “Einstein Inspires Dr. Mallett’s Dream of Time Travel,” YouTube, THINKR, 17 July
2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01fRxIl-Stw. (3 min, 54 sec)
Ron Mallett discusses Einstein’s theories and how he applied them in his own work on time
travel.
Discussion Questions
Activity One: Meet Dr. Ron Mallett, Time Traveler
1. What inspired Dr. Mallett to build a time machine and what subjects did he need to master in
order to do so?
2. How does Dr. Mallett’s theory of time travel work?
3. Dr. Mallett was inspired by H. G. Well’s The Time Machine to study time travel. What science
fiction stories inspire you?
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4. What were the major turning points in Dr. Mallett’s life?
5. How did race play a role in Dr. Mallett’s life?
Further Reading and Additional Resources
For a short article on the science behind Dr. Mallett’s theory of time travel, see Ronald L. Mallett, “Weak
gravitational field of the electromagnetic radiation in a ring laser,” April 3,
2000, http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~mallett/Mallett2000.pdf.
Books on Albert Einstein and Relativity:
• Richard Wolfson, Simply Einstein: Relativity Demystified (New York: W.W. Norton, 2003).
This book reviews some of Einstein’s theory in an accessible way.
• Jerome Pohlen, Albert Einstein and Relativity for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities and
Thought Experiments (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2012).
This biography of Albert Einstein includes activities and thought experiments for children.
• Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor, Einstein on Race and Racism (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers
University Press, 2005).
This book examines Einstein’s writings on race and racism.
The books that inspired Dr. Ron Mallett (from his autobiography Time Traveler):
• H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895) and the Classics Illustrated comic adaptation (can be read
online at http://www.tkinter.smig.net/ClassicsIllustrated/TimeMachine/index.htm).
This was the book that inspired an eleven year Ron Mallett to dream of building a time
machine so he could see his father again.
• Lincoln Kinnear Barnett, The Universe and Dr. Einstein (New York: W. Sloane Associates, 1957)
This is one of the books that influenced Ron Mallett as a child to pursue his dream to
build a time machine, leading him to become a physicist. The book explains Einstein’s
theories and what they mean for our understanding of the universe in an accessible way.
• James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time (New York: The Dial Press, 1963).
Dr. Mallett read this book while he was in college pursuing his Ph.D. in physics at
Pennsylvania State University. He was in college during the turbulent social unrest of the
late 1960s and early 1970s and the book was influential to him.
Multimedia:
• “Einstein’s Big Idea,” PBS (1 hour, 48 min) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/einsteinbig-idea.html
A PBS documentary that discusses Einstein’s theories.
• National Geographic Channel: Ron Mallett and Time Travel (5 min, 45
sec) http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/ronald-mallett-and-time-travel/
A short video where Ron Mallett discusses his theory of time travel. The video also
shows Mallett working with lasers in his laboratory.
• This American Life Segment on Ron Mallett, “Tragedy Minus Time Equals Happily Ever After” (23
min) http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/324/my-brilliant-plan?act=2#play
This audio segment is a touching overview of Dr. Mallett’s life story.
• PBS Time Traveler Game, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/hotsciencetwin/
This game allows the player to see how time dilation works using the twin paradox.
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•
•
•
•
•
Time Dilation: Explanation, Examples: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/timedilation-description-explanation-examples.html#lesson
This site provides educational resources on time dilation and includes videos and quizzes.
Printable comic book templates can be found
at: http://www.printablepaper.net/category/comics
The Kennedy Center Arts Edge, “Creating Comic Strips,” https://artsedge.kennedycenter.org/educators/lessons/grade-3-4/Creating_Comic_Strips.aspx#.
American Physical Society Physics Central Comic
Books, http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/comics/.
“Think Like Einstein” interactive PBS resource: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/time/think.html.
Extensions
Other Resources from the AIP Teacher’s Guide on African Americans in Physics, Astronomy, and Related
Disciplines:
• Dr. Ron Mallett and Time Travel Word Search (see supplemental documents)
Common Core Standards
For more information on Common Core Standards, visit http://www.corestandards.org/.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source
distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to
history/social studies.
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs,
videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events
or ideas develop over the course of the text.
Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine
whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic
aspects of history/social science.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear
the relationships among the key details and ideas.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the
meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison
defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in
diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in
words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and
secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting
discrepancies among sources.
Next Generation Science Standards
For more information on the Next Generation Science Standards, visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/.
Dimension One: Practices
Dimension Two: Crosscutting
Concepts
Dimension Three: Disciplinary
Core Ideas
1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for
engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3. Constructing explanations
4. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
1. Cause and effect
2. Scale, proportion, and quantity
3. Systems and system models
Core Idea ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe
Core Idea ETS1: Engineering Design
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