Im pretty sure you've heard of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Anyway, it says that the closer you get to the speed of light, the more times seems to slow down. In other words if you and your friend were 10 yrs old and your friend was sent to say planet x which is 20 light yrs away in a ship that travels at 99.9% of the speed of light. Now this trip takes 50 years when your friend arrives hes only 10 1/2 years old and ur 55 YEARS OLD!!!. Anyway thats how it works now my question are the following. What would happen if we traveled at the speed of light??????? WOULD TIME STOP??? What will happen if we could travel FASTER!! THEN THE SPEED OF LIGHT!!??? WILL WE BE ABLE TO TRAVEL INTO THE PAST?? TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN PROVEN AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANY OF THIS JUST GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. THANK YOU.
2006-07-09 17:05:48 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Time dialation works like this:
Suppose I get in a machiene (at age 10) that travels 99.9% the speed of light and spend 50 years there (25 years going away, and 25 years back). My twin (also 10, duh) remains on the earth. When I get back to earth, I will be 60 years old, and my twin will have been dead for a very long time.
I'm not sure why this happens, but they have scientifically verified that this happens on a very small scale (involving seconds of time shift, not years).
In theory, the faster you go the more time dialation there is...in fact, we expirence this any time we move, only the effects are so slight that we don't notice them even if we travel at what we consider high speeds. This implies that when you get on the interstate and drive at 70 miles an hour for a long distance, you are ahead of the rest of the world by a very, very small percentage of a second.
What happens when if we reach lightspeed? (Note that the theory of relativity says this is impossible.) Theoretically we would fast-forward to the end of time instantly. IE, I in the fast-moving spaceship expirence an infinately small amout of time, and my stationary twin the rest of eternity. Again, it is impossible to get going the speed of light (because of mass increase, but this is something else entirely)
hope that helps.
2006-07-09 17:18:51 · answer #1 · answered by matts423 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I know that in the 1960's, two hyper accurate clocks were used to test the theory. One was put on a PanAm jet and flown around the world. When the trip was over the clocks were off.
If you read the complex theory of relativity you'll learn that it is simply impossible to travel the speed of light, and that the infinitely closer to the speed of light you get the more time will "infinitely" slow down. Again reading the complex theory you will also learn that according to Einstein, time travel into the past is also impossible.
So no, Time will not stop, You won't go back in time and since we can't go the speed of light there is no way we can go faster then it.
Sorry, but I hope this answers your question.
2006-07-09 17:14:44 · answer #2 · answered by boter_99 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not going to pretend that I have enough knowledge to answer this question to satisfaction, but I will say this: Einstein's theory was just a theory, after all. We'll never really know how travelling at high rates of speed will effect the passage of time.
I believe that time is linear. In other words, it is a constant line moving one way--forward. I also believe that time has more to do with perception than anything in the physical universe. In other words, if no one exists to understand what time is, does time exist? I believe that time is the way living beings measure events that happen in the physical universe. I don't think that passing quickly through the universe is going to effect time. If I'm speaking out of ignorance, then please forgive me. All I am going by is what I have observed, but I'm sure Einstein would say the same when he developed the Theory of Relativity.
2006-07-09 17:19:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think, according too einsteins theory, one cannot go faster than the speed of light. So, at best you would only stop time if you were able to go as fast as light. As I understand it, "faster than light" travel theories involve moving through a fifth dimensional space. Needless to say we do not yet know if that is even possible on a practical level. There are, however, these theories...
2006-07-09 17:15:52 · answer #4 · answered by pols88 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What actually happens when you travel the speed of light or even close to it is just theories and speculations. It's the same principle when figuring out what actually happens within a black hole.
Your question can't be answered, as there is no proven fact what happens to time the faster you travel through it. Furthurmore, time itself isn't a 'thing' that can be measured. It's not even real. So you can't actually figure time into an equation. It's like trying to figure out the square root of infinity. Since it's not a true factor, you can't have a pure answer. Only theories.
2006-07-09 17:10:50 · answer #5 · answered by Ipshwitz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well u are talking about Einsteins theory n u don't know that according to that theory only nothing can reach the speed of light. and yaa if some day we are able to approach the ultimate speed then time will surely become slow or even stop. experiments in the lab has proved this time shortening process.
one more thing, as something approaches the ultimate speed, its mass also increases. there is a specific formula.
2006-07-09 17:16:58 · answer #6 · answered by stuffed apple 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A second is still a second. Time appears to slow down. It is relative. That does not mean that time has slowed down. It is a constant. If it is 20 light-years away, he would have aged 20 years even if he travels at the speed fo light.
2006-07-09 17:14:27 · answer #7 · answered by crazyhumans2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The equations for time dilation do not tell us what happens at the speed of light, however, as you approach the speed of light, time eventually slows so much that it might as well be stopped. So, yes, time stops from the point of view of the "stationary" person.
If you were to exceed the speed of light, say you took off in your space ship to another planet, you'd arrive before you left...seriously.
2006-07-09 17:42:05 · answer #8 · answered by minuteblue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The thing you have to realize is the "relativity" portion of that equation. Time doesn't speed up or slow down it just gets experienced at different rates relative to other places. Scientists have taken extremely accurate time pieces up in jet planes and shown that they had variations from the same type of instruments that they were calibrated to on the ground. So time never goes backwards. A person just moves through that dimension in a way that goes beyond our ability to fully comprehend as they move through the other three dimensions.
2006-07-09 17:16:08 · answer #9 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Think of it this way. You go to space for a week. Your friend is 50 is years older. Think like this. Think like me. You are on a space ship. Your friend is on Earth. You are flying at the speed of light. Your friend is orbiting the sun. How would you think he would feel if you were gone for a week and he had aged 50 years?
2006-07-09 17:41:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋