why is it impossible to travel faster than the speed of light?

Answer 1

Because of the equivalence of energy and mass, the energy which an object has due to its motion will add to its mass. In other words, it will make it harder to increase its speed. This effect is only really significant for objects moving at speeds close to the speed of light. For example, at 10 percent of the speed of light an object’s mass is only 0.5 percent more than normal, while at 90 percent of the speed of light it would be more than twice its normal mass. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass rises ever more quickly, so it takes more and more energy to speed it up further. It can in fact never reach the speed of light, because by then its mass would have become infinite, and by the equivalence of mass and energy, it would have taken an infinite amount of energy to get it there. For this reason, any normal object is forever confined by relativity to move at speeds slower than the speed of light. Only light, or other waves that have no intrinsic mass, can move at the speed of light.

Answer 2

While the math clearly shows that the length of a moving object and its temporal dimension all reduce to 0 as it approaches c, a clear impossibility, the equations invoke c, as a given metric constant. No one knows why c has the value it does. If the value of c was a great deal larger or smaller, there would even be some profound cosmological repercussions, possibly affecting the viability of life in the universe. Another way of looking at the speed of light is to consider it the "rate of reality." That is, transluminal speed is impossible because all energy interactions at the most fundamental levels all take place at that velocity in space/time, allowing no exception.

Answer 3

The theory of special relativity has quite an impact on why speed faster than light is impossible. Although I am prone to believe that you can go faster than the speed of light.

Answer 4

The faster you go, the more energy is required to reach this speed- and, the object becomes larger, which makes more inertia, which means more power,,,,see the energy loop?

As far as space travel is concerned: Theres 2 different ideas right now. One is the "Stargate" system of interdimensional travel. The second is once the Grand Unified Theory is figured out and tested, it may be possible to use some kind of force field to neutralize the inertia or change the energy levels.

Answer 5

No one has said that it is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light.Though it is the fastest at present,we can make or discover something that has a faster speed.

Answer 6

In 2002, physicists Alain Haché and Louis Poirier made history by sending pulses at a group velocity of three times light speed over a long distance for the first time, transmitted through a 120-metre cable made from a coaxial photonic crystal.

Answer 7

An object traveling at the velocity of light would
only be able to accelerate if pushed by something.
Anything traveling at the velocity of light could not
catch up to the object that is also travelling at the
velocity of light. Nothing can travel faster than light.

Answer 8

Same as why you can not put more water in a bottle when it is full. There is no room for faster speed as you would be everywhere at once. Even beyond everywhere.

But maybe there is a faster speed. It is only still a theory.

Answer 9

When we measure the speed of light in vacuum from a stationary reference frame it is found to be 3x10^8m/s.

When we move with a speed of ‘v’ (whatever is the value of v) toward a beam of light, again the speed of light in vacuum is found to be 3x10^8m/s.

When we move with a speed of ‘v’ (whatever is the value of v) away from a beam of light, again the speed of light in vacuum is found to be 3x10^8m/s.

Thus whatever is our speed and whatever is our direction toward or away from a beam of light, the speed of light in vacuum is the same.

If we move toward a beam of light, the beam of light should cross a fixed length quickly (less time) than if were at rest. We should measure the speed of light as increased, because speed is (distance/ time). For the same distance the light must take lesser time and hence we must measure the speed as increased. But it is not so. We measure the speed as 3x10^8 m/s.

A deep thinking and analysis will show that this is possible, only if the length and time of a moving observer are decreased with its speed.

The time taken by light to cross a meter (at rest) length is (1/3x10^8) second.
If the meter has a speed of 2x 10^8 m/s, then an observer at rest will say that it is reduced to 0.75 m ( in the moving frame) and a period of one second is also reduced to 0.75 s.

In the moving frame, the light will take {1/ (4 x10^8)} second to cross 0.75m.

Thus he will measure the speed of light as (distance /time) = 0.75/ {1/ (4 x10^8)} = 3x10^8m/s.

As the speed is increased, any length in the moving frame is decreasing and time is slowing and if the speed is equal to the speed of light, the observer at rest will say that the length in the moving object is zero and any period of time is reduced to zero.

When the length of all objects, including the observer moving with the speed of light is zero is impossible. Or, no object can move with the speed of light.

Further, calculation shows that if any object exceeds the speed of light, the time and length becomes imaginary, not negative quantity.

Answer 10

I disagree you bend the fabric of time and slip through, in the mean time light is still on its way trying to catch up with you.