The Instability

The Instability

"The Instability" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that was first published in the 1 January 1989 issue of "The Observer" and reprinted in the collection "Gold" (1995).

A professor tells his colleague he has made time-travel possible. He also tells him that according to his calculations, there will be another star in the Sun's place in 27 million years. The professor makes a trip with his colleague through time to observe the dark star. After making some notes, they decide to return home. When they time travel back, the colleague notices that there is black space outside. The professor explains that time and space move, so their universe has moved in an upper-dimensional level. This means they are in primeval chaos. His colleague points out that since they are here this is not primeval chaos anymore. The professor states that his partner is right and that they have introduced an instability, but he never finishes the sentence. They are all wiped out by a Big Bang as a new universe is created.


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  • Instability — In sta*bil i*ty, n.; pl. {Instabilities}. [L. instabilitas: cf. F. instabilit[ e].] [1913 Webster] 1. The quality or condition of being unstable; lack of stability, firmness, or steadiness; liability to give way or to fail; insecurity;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • instability — [in΄stə bil′ə tē] n. 1. lack of stability; unstableness; specif., a) lack of firmness or steadiness b) lack of determination; irresolution 2. tendency to behave or react violently or erratically [the instability of a chemical compound, emotional… …   English World dictionary

  • Instability index — The Instability index is a measure of proteins, used to determine whether it will be stable in a test tube.If the index is less than 40 (for example, titin), then it is probably stable in the test tube. If it is greater (for example, enaptin)… …   Wikipedia

  • The Kilmog — (occasionally Kilmog Hill) is a hilly area approximately 20 kilometres north of Dunedin, New Zealand, on State Highway 1, to the north of Blueskin Bay and south of Karitane. Technically more a series of hills than a single hill, it lies between… …   Wikipedia

  • Instability strip — The Instability strip is a nearly vertical region in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram which is occupied by pulsating variable stars (including RR Lyrae variable, Cepheid variable, W Virginis variable, ZZ Ceti variable, RV Tauri variable, Delta… …   Wikipedia

  • instability — in|sta|bil|i|ty [ˌınstəˈbılıti] n plural instabilities [U and C] 1.) when a situation is not certain because there is the possibility of sudden change ≠ ↑stability ▪ the instability of the market ▪ political instability in the region 2.) mental… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • instability — noun (U) 1 uncertainty in a situation that is caused by the possibility of sudden change: the instability of the market | political instability 2 mental problems that are likely to cause sudden changes of behaviour: nervous instability …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • instability — noun 1) the instability of political life Syn: unreliability, uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, riskiness; impermanence, inconstancy, changeability, variability, fluctuation, mutability, transience Ant: certainty …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • instability index of earnings — A measure of the deviation between actual profits of a company and trend profit. The higher the index, the greater the instability of a company s profitability …   Accounting dictionary

  • instability — noun 1) the instability of political life Syn: unreliability, uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, volatility, capriciousness, changeability, mutability 2) emotional instability Syn: volatility, unpredictabil …   Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

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