The concept of time travel is still a subject of scientific and philosophical debate, and currently, there is no scientific evidence or consensus on whether it is possible or what would happen if it were. However, I can provide you with a speculative explanation based on popular theories and fictional depictions of time travel.
In most fictional depictions, traveling backwards through time involves the idea of changing events in the past, leading to potential paradoxes and inconsistencies. If we assume time travel is possible and you were able to travel to an earlier point in time, there are a few possibilities of what might happen:
Fixed Timeline: In some theories, time travel is believed to follow a fixed timeline. This means that any actions you take in the past have already happened and are already part of history. In this scenario, you would be unable to change the course of events because your actions in the past were already part of the timeline.
Altered Timeline: Another possibility is that time travel creates a parallel timeline or alternate reality. In this case, you would arrive at an earlier point in time, but any changes you make would not affect your original timeline. Instead, you would create a separate timeline that branches off from the moment of your arrival. This concept is often explored in science fiction, such as the "Many-Worlds Interpretation" of quantum mechanics.
Temporal Causality Loops: Time travel could also lead to causality loops, commonly known as "bootstrap paradoxes." In this scenario, you might travel to the past and inadvertently become the cause of events that you already experienced in the future. For example, you might give an inventor the plans for an advanced technology, which they later develop and give to you in the future. The origin of the technology becomes unclear in this loop.
It's important to note that these explanations are speculative and based on current theories and fictional interpretations of time travel. Until there is scientific evidence or a widely accepted theory, the true nature of time travel remains uncertain.