2006-08-31 08:26:19 · 17 answers · asked by john p 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yes. If I understand relativity correctly, the speed of light realative to the viewer is always constant. In other words, you, the driver, wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Your lights would shoot out of your car apparently at the speed of light faster than you are going.
Here is the trick. Say I can throw a ball at the speed of light. Now I hop into your car and drive at the speed of light. I now throw the ball in front of me. The speed of the ball, as seen by the pedestrian I nearly ran over, is not twice the speed of light. It isn't an additive affect. That is what is so odd about relativity.
To make this "magic" seem to happen. Time and distance actually change for the viewers. (speed is distance divided by time). That is why often is Sci-Fi shows when people travel at light speed, they don't age like the people they leave behind on earth.
2006-08-31 08:34:00 · answer #1 · answered by Cadair360 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why? Do you need to see where you were going? At that rate, you wouldn't even have time to react to anything you do see.
My assumption would be yes. Because the speed of light from the headlights would be travelling the speed of the car plus it's own generated speed (c + c).
Added detail:
(I'm saying it's an assumption because i haven't read enough about this personally. But I did just now scan the basic on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light)
I just had a thought for example: You're standing at the back of a pickup going at a certain speed, then you spit. For a certain amount of time, the spit will be going faster than the pickup. Although, it will slow down after a time due to gravity and other forces present (wind, dust)....better duck.
2006-08-31 15:33:47 · answer #2 · answered by endrshadow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you were traveling reeeally close to the speed of light and you turned on your headlights, they would appear to operate normally, because the speed of light is constant for all frames of reference.
If you were traveling at the speed of light (which isn't possible), time would no longer exist for you, so the question becomes nonsensical.
2006-08-31 19:30:36 · answer #3 · answered by J C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of course they would work however you would not be able to see them due to the fact that you are traveling the same speed. But if you are traveling the speed of light you have a few more problems than just your headlights working.
2006-08-31 15:32:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To answer this question, we first have to make a few important assumptions, otherwise the question is meaningless.
First, we have to assume that you can accelerate your car to the speed of light....this is not actually possible since it would take an infinite amount of energy to achieve. Secondly, we have to assume that at the speed of light, your head lights will operate normally (i.e. you turn them on and light shines out) due to [for reasons beyond the scope of this answer] the way head lights actually work.
One VERY important thing to remember is that in ALL frames of reference, the speed of light is constant.
No matter who is watching the light travel and measuring its speed, it will always come out to be the exact some value, 299,792,458 m/s exactly.
When you, inside your car traveling at the speed of light (with respect to some "stationary" observer), switch on your head lights and look out the wind shield, you WILL see light traveling away from you at the speed of light.
If this "stationary" observer (by which I mean a someone who you are traveling past at the speed of light) watches all this happen, both you and the light are still traveling at the same speed in his reference frame....the speed of light.
So the answer depends on whose frame of reference you’re talking about. From your point of view, yes, you would see the light traveling away from you at the speed of light as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
From the "Stationary" person's reference frame, you and the light would be keeping up with each other, neither moving in front nor falling behind the other one...tied.
2006-08-31 15:58:26 · answer #5 · answered by mrjeffy321 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your car would never reach the speed of light, since any mass that got close to such velocity would gain even more mass, eventually requiring an infinite force to push it. The headlights would still work, since the speed of light doesn't change regardless of the velocity of the car. Instead, as you approach the speed of light, time slows down instead.
2006-08-31 15:34:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well - if you were traveling at the speed of light, time would stand still, right? So - you wouldnt be able to turn your headlights on.... Wouldnt matter anyway, though.
2006-08-31 15:34:13 · answer #7 · answered by kjdrudy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of course they would work the speed of light has nothing to do with them turning on as long as the car electric system is working normal and there is power running to them
2006-08-31 15:34:42 · answer #8 · answered by salute222000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes...but you would have to be really really close to them to see it...If you were traveling faster than the speed of light however...
2006-08-31 15:33:10 · answer #9 · answered by King of the Couch 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They would probably work, but I don't think you should be in front of a car going that fast to see if they work.
2006-08-31 19:27:57 · answer #10 · answered by Msquared 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋