2006-08-15 00:24:29 · 7 answers · asked by ullis 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
That is the question Einstein asked himself. Or more precisely, if you could move at the speed of light, would you see light standing still? The problem is, nobody has ever seen light slow down or speed up. It keeps zipping along at 186,000 miles per second. Not a bit more, not a bit less. It doesn't matter whether you're moving towards that light or away from it, or how fast your relative motion to that beam of light is. You will measure 186,000 miles per second. Period. It is very counter-intuitive, that's for sure. The universe is weird, much weirder than we can imagine. But the constancy of the speed of light has yet to be disproven, even though our methods of testing it have gotten incredibly refined since Einstein posed his theory, more than 70 years ago.
2006-08-15 15:48:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is just a measured fact. To explain this, Einstein had to allow distance, mass and time to all change. In particular, two objects meeting, one from the left at 90% the speed of light and one from the right at 90% the speed of light meet at 99% the speed of light and not 180% of the speed of light. To explain this, time and distance are changed. The length of a meter and the rate at which a clock ticks depend on how fast you are moving, so all measurements of speed, which is length divided by time, are messed up.
2006-08-15 09:04:21 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good question. If two objects are travelling towards each other at the speed of light, then obviously, relative to each other, the objects are travelling at twice the speed of light. Considering that speed is only relative to the observer, you have just proved Einstein wrong. Well done.
2006-08-18 05:14:40 · answer #3 · answered by uselessadvice 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The value of time has to be preserved. What does not exist at this value, does not exist in our universe. Two masses meeting head-on at a speed, each 90% that of light, would convert into electromagnetic energy and gravitons. The reason for the value of gravitons is able to be found at, http://360.yahoo.com/noddarc August 10, "What is a Graviton".
2006-08-15 12:54:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's all a matter of prespective.
Take it from three points of view.
X is on the photon coming from the right.
Y is on the anti-photon coming from the left.
Z is 'stationary' near the collision point.
X and Y 'see' each other only at the moment of impact. They never get to measure the other's speed.
Z sees the impact and the entire route that X and Y took simultaneously (they were traveling at 'c' and their images take as long to get to Z and they do.)
The impression that Z has is that they were both traveling at 'c' and they collided at what appears to be 2c.
2006-08-15 11:09:38 · answer #5 · answered by SPLATT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in this era of physics the speed of limit is the ultimate limit. Unless the speed of light can be unbroken, there is no point doubling it cuz the speed of light is already the limit
2006-08-15 07:29:06 · answer #6 · answered by sinder_block 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your question is wrong. You are trying to apply newtonian theory to the world of Relativity.
2006-08-15 07:40:02 · answer #7 · answered by tyroleos 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋