if an object is traveling towards you at the speed of light will you?

Question

see it before it hits you?
short motivation will be appreciated.

Answer 1

Some good answers above, but incomplete.
1. No "Object" can reach the speed of light (according to Einstein's relativity): it would have an infinite mass and would have required an infinite amount of energy to reach that speed.
2. It it were travelling at that speed, then you will "see" it at the same time as it hits you. Too late!
3. If it has an infinite mass, no light reflected or emitted by that Object would LEAVE the object towards you! The light would be trapped on the Object, so its image will never reach you...

Answer 2

This is a question with many problems to consider. First of all, nothing with any mass can travel at the speed of light. It it were to do so, it would become infinitely massive due to mass dilation, and destroy the universe. So, most of what would protentially be coming towards us at the speed of light will be a photon anyway, and they don't generally reflect a great deal of light for us to see in any case.

However, if we assume that the universe won't end if something with mass which is zooming around and ignore mass dilation effects, then we're faced with another problem. In a fraction of a second things moving at the speed of light travel further than we can see (more or less). So, the object would need to be very large, in order for us to be able to see it at a distance.

The question of whether or not you could see it as it approached is a little complicated. The answer, is maybe. The problem is that what we understand of the universe, isn't exactly set up to determine what happens when something travelling at light speed flicks on a light. The thing is, that relativity tells us that if two photons are travelling directly towards each other, then the speed at which they appraoch each other is c, rather than 2c, time slows down, space warps and so forth, and the absolute speed of light is maintained. If we were to flip this experiment around, so two photons are travelling in the same direction, ala your question, then it should be the case that the relative speed should remain at c. The intuitive alternative (that they would be a constant distance from one another, or have ea relative speed of 0) would violate the absolute frame of reference that is the speed of light.

So, I suppose that if we are to ignore the problematic assumptions that the question requires, that the answer is yes, we would see the object as it approached.

Answer 3

Nope, if both are traveling at the same speed it will be simultaneous, if not near impossible to tell the difference if you could tell. Assume that your body was the length that light could travel in one year (a light year). Now imagine that you were stung by a bee at your toe. How long would it take the light reflected off of the bee and the pain sensation to reach your brain. Most likely the same time, because both visual and sensory perceptions have an nerve impulse that travel at the speed of light.

Answer 4

Does it matter? If an object is traveling towards you at the speed of light, you aren't going to have time to get the f u c k out of the way in time anyway before it knocks you on your a s s.

Answer 5

For you to see an object, light must hit the object first, then reflect and enter your eyes.

If the object travels as fast as light, then it will hit you at the same time that the light reflected from it enters your eyes.

Thus, if the object was 300,000,000 meters away before moving towards you, then,

after one second, you will be hit by the object and at the same time, your eyes will capture the object's image 300,000,000 meters away from you.

If the object travels that fast, your brain will not have enough time to interpret the image before you die.

Answer 6

Theoretically no. The speed of light is a constant so the object traveling at the speed of light will emit or reflect light in all directions except in the direction of travel.

Answer 7

ya when distance is greater than 3*10^8 metres.............
you can see because the light from the moving object travells at the speed of light w r t the object(moving at light speed). so it reaches u r eyes and hit u proved by PROF.ALBERT EINSTEIN(THE GREAT)

Answer 8

Your question is not yet possible. Nothing can travel at the speed of light except light itself. If something travels at the speet of light, you wont be able to see it come and go . . . but its not yet possible.

Answer 9

Depends on the size of the object

Answer 10

hard to imagine anything with mass travelling at the spped of light. light emitted in your direction would only propogate at the same speed it's travelling, from your perspective. cant imagine you ever even experiencing a single moment of its collision with you.