At least, it doesn't work like it should.

The basic idea of the magic mansion trunk, as well as the largest compartment of Moody's trunk, is that the inside is larger than the outside dimensions. Space has been "stuffed" into the trunk, so to speak.

Problem is, it's not just space nowadays with Relativity and whatnot. It's space-time. Space and time are inseparable. This means that by manipulating space, you also manipulate time. So when you put more space inside the trunk, you're also putting more time inside the trunk. In essence, time passes more quickly within the trunk than outside.

Example: Harry goes into his magic trunk, trains, sleeps, eats, etc, for what is, to him, a week. He comes out and only an hour has passed outside of the trunk.

So yeah, all those fics where Harry gets a magic trunk and then uses a time-turner or whatever to get more training time are not only cliche at this point, but silly and redundant in the first place.

 

Quite. It's very cliche. I'm not sure I really feel like puzzling out your space-time argument at the moment, but it all boils down to no competent author should use this idea.

Did we have a thread for this before? I can't remember, but it seems familiar.

 

Poor Mad-eye! That means that the 9 or so months he was trapped in his own trunk were like...4 years or something?

 

Space-Time are not necessarily one thing. They can be separated. Double check with a physicist (perspectivity) but I'm pretty sure that Quantum Physics kinda plays fast and loose with the whole 'time' thing.

 

I dunno. I'm of the mind that manipulating space-time with magic isn't an exact science. Well...it's not science at all, which is why it's called magic in the first place.

Oh and inb4Taure/Perspicacity.

 

I talked to my physics teacher about it, and he agreed with me that time would be affected. Granted, this is all assuming that Relativity is true.

 

Was he really in an expanded compartment?

I think in the book he was just stuffed in a small trunk space.

 

I think space was expanded inside of it, but not much (in comparison to the Super Mansion Trunk), so time might not have been affected as much. It would all be in proportion to the dimensions inside the trunk to the dimensions outside the trunk.

 

Maybe he would have been affected if JKR wrote it that way, but she didn't, because she probably doesn't know a lot about this stuff.

 

That's silly.

There's no indication at all time passes by faster inside a trunk.

Besides, it's magic. It laughs in the face of your Physics.

 

Am I the only one who's laughing while imagining this conversation?

"Um, Mr. XYZ. Don't you think that time in a magically expanded trunk passes slower than on the outside? I'm always wondering about this when reading Harry Potter fanfiction."

"WTF?"

 

I never understood the whole trunk thing....just cos Mad-eye was trapped in one for a year?

where there are trunks, there are three constants in all fanction.

1. Gringotts cliche
2. Trunk cliche
3. Lack of being inside trunk while it's being levitated over the edge of the astronomy tower by Malfoy/Snape, who got past Moody's trunk with a simple, single, silent spell.

 

Expanding space isn't unique - indeed, it seems like one of the easier "advanced" charms. Also, didn't Hermione's beaded bag carry food in DH? So by your space-time reckoning, it would have spoilt if time went by faster.

 

Alright, you've got me. I guess it's just a matter of preference when it comes to fanfiction, whether you like science-friendly magic or science-raping magic.

 

As a physics student, I can whole-heartedly say that physics tends to get in the way when writing magic is involved - although I would say that the more one can bring in proper physics when creating spells or magical effects, the more realistic the magical universe seems.

Personally, on the beaded bag/trunk/tent question, I tend to run with the 'pocket dimension' idea that D&D uses to explain their Bags of Holding and Portable Holes. Different dimensional space inside, different space than that of the outside world. I know there's a flaw in that logic somewhere, but I'm too furious at my damned hard drive to reply more.

 

I'm pretty sure that 'more space' doesn't equal 'more time'. The effects of spacetime only become noticeable when something's velocity approaches the speed of light (which is why classical physics has time independent of space). So I suppose if Harry were to somehow travel really really fast inside his expanded trunk then, yes, time would pass differently for him. Otherwise, it's a moot point.

Anyway, as other people have said, who cares: it's magic, not science.

 

This. I hate Technomagic with a passion. The only time I'll read it is if it comes in parody form. I don't like to mix logic with magic besides it takes the creativity out of the story. Why have a computer when you can create a magical device that does the same or similar things? It never made sense to me especially given the number of muggleborns and squibs who see magic as being far superior to anything muggle.

 

Instead of trying to explain magic of all things, try to give a reasonable explanation not to the phenomenon of an entire house inside of a trunk but Harry Potter and his best friend receiving scores on their OWL tests better than the bookworm Percy, while all the time everything points out that they barely keep up with the school work and have no desire on putting more effort in it.

Alright, I agree that most of the readable fics do not include OWL results into them and yet it's more often than not that someone would point out Harry's aptitude on the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts...

... bullocks the guy performs well under pressure and apparently can keep his wits in situations(or so we think) but the subject is not called "Magical Fighting" for a reason. Defending against the dark arts should have more to do with massive knowledge of curses and how to counter them, in other words Theory... lots of it... and the practical implementation where dueling is just a part of it should help but not get you through with the highest scores...

...arr right... end rant here. Just skipped though yet another promising fic to see an "O++ " score on Harry's exam results and it just got me going...

EDIT: somehow on the topic...
the only scenario where I wouldn't mind reading about actual science being applied to try to explain magic, would be a story where the statue of secrecy is bridged and in the resulting conflict the muggles find a way of "detecting" magic and magical people by the... "aura", magical field being somehow similar to a magnetic one or something else of the sort... surrounding them. But NOT being able to really explain it or really reproduce it.