If I had a beam or a rod 100 billion miles long, attached to a planet as the pivot point, when I turn my very long rod, isn't the long end going to zip through space much faster than the speed of light?
Example: If I could attach a 100 billion mile long rod to my hand as I sweep my hand across the sky at night, isn't the long end moving faster than the speed of light, since my very long hand is covering these massive distances?
CO
2006-08-27 08:29:51 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Great imagination. The short answer is we ought to try it, but no matter what material we used, it would be bent by gravity and force. A parallel example would be the accretion disk around a black hole. The gravitational forces of the black hole are accelerating matter around it towards the speed of light, and the edge of the accretion disk really wants to go superluminal, but the physics instead bend the particles moving around the edge in a backwards sweep, so that that they are just under the cosmic speed limit. So, your rod would bend - you could swing your hand around but the other end of the rod would take a long time to cross these massive distances, no matter what the tensile strength. Same goes for a 100 billion mile long light beam. It is bent by gravity - curved space. Interesting to think about, though. I'm sure a physicist could show you mathematically that you'd need infinte energy to even move a 100 billion mile long rod, and you couldn't find a big enough anchor.
2006-08-27 08:58:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
And that is an excellent question.
Unfortunately, Albert Einstein beat you to that question which concerns "instantaneous action at a distance." No action at a distance can proceed faster than the speed of light. For instance, if the sun were to burn out this instant, we would not know about it until approximately 8 minutes from now.
The answer to your question is No.
In reality, there is no such thing as a perfectly rigid rod. When you twist or push the rod, you compress or twist the molecules at the end you are holding - the action is then transmitted to the adjacent molecules and so forth on down the rod. This action involves mass and cannot take place at, or even near, the speed of light, let alone even faster.
If it's true that great minds run along the same vane - you have a fine future ahead of you.
2006-08-27 15:45:50 · answer #2 · answered by LeAnne 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
dude....good imagination..
but u require E=mc^2 order of energy.
It will start rotating only if u rotate it with speed much faster than speed of light. You need to be a superman for that ;)
2006-08-27 15:38:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be careful with that long rod -The tip could go back in time and wack you in the butt.
2006-08-27 15:35:16 · answer #4 · answered by super stud 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO ,
U WOULD HAVE TO MOVE THE SHORT END OF YOUR BEAM MUCH FASTER THAN THE LONG END
2006-08-30 21:12:37 · answer #5 · answered by s666teen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think so. Well, as long as you could hold it. That would be REALLY heavy!
2006-08-27 15:32:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was told that there would be no math involved.
2006-08-27 15:32:28 · answer #7 · answered by Rabbit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No
2006-08-27 15:33:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-08-27 15:31:59 · answer #9 · answered by jaden 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋