what does that falling tree in the forest sound like?
2006-09-13 10:12:23 · 18 answers · asked by Whatever 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Wow!
Your car goes that fast?
.
2006-09-13 10:18:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
How about... you will never know unless you are driving toward the falling tree at the speed of light and happen to pass just as it falls. In any case the audible sound waves will be travelling so much slower I doubt your feeble ears would even be able to discern the sound.
But, if you turned your headlights on at the speed of light headed directly toward the aforementioned tree. Would you be able to see the tree before you hit it? You would be traveling at the same speed as your headlights that are trying to move forward from thier origin... therefore your lights would constantly appear to be off correct? So I guess the tree could sound like a giant crash when all the sudden you are stopped by the tremendous inertia behind you hitting a tree at the speed of light. But even in that case... would you hear it? or would you still be moving too quickly to notice? OK... love this question really. Why was this in the physics section again though?
2006-09-13 10:21:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
well first you must remember e=mc^2.
now you know as you increase in speed, you require more energy, but your mass remains constant, so what is changing?
It is the actual speed of light at your current speed - but how can that be, you ask - isn't the speed of light a constant? Tricky but all is relative as my good bud - Albert E, would say.
The catch is speed is measured in distance / time, which we all know is constant - or is that so?
Remember that as you speed up, time slows down, and it has been proven that objects moving at a higher rate of speed tend to move through time slower.
So if time slows down, the miles/hour also changes. So at 60 mph you might actually have 120 mph at your speed, thereby allowing for the speed of light to remain the same and yet change, simply because you are changing a constant. So when you are traveling at the speed of light and you turn on your headlights they are still traveling at the speed of light from you, so you will see the tree fall but only after it whacks you in the head, and that sounds likes lights out to you.....
2006-09-13 10:35:25 · answer #3 · answered by Le Canuck 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's sounds like tiiiiiiimbeerr and crusssssshhhhhhhhhh.
If you turn your headlights while hipotetically driving at the speed of light you still won't seee anything being illuminated because the light travel slower in the air than in the empty space.
You will probably end up hitting that three anyway... and the guy cutting it.
2006-09-13 10:32:17 · answer #4 · answered by tetraedronico 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would guess it would sound like the roof of your car incaving.
You wouldn't hear the tree, nor would you feel it when you hit it. You would annihalate anything that happens to be in your way.
I feel sorry for whatever deer or squirrel decides to take a walk across the field of tar when you are driving.
p.s. What kind of car do you drive? I want it.
2006-09-13 11:38:06 · answer #5 · answered by Black Angel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sound is almost identical to that made by Train A when it meets Train B, much like cracking the egg- and-a-half.
2006-09-13 10:36:53 · answer #6 · answered by RANDLE W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
More importantly, if you were driving at the speed of sound and honked your horn, would your face explode?
2006-09-13 10:19:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Keerrr rash
2006-09-13 10:19:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This one again? If you are going at the speed of light, you don't do anything -- time does not exist for you.
2006-09-13 10:15:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
At that speed, I'd be more worried about the brakes.
2006-09-13 10:25:55 · answer #10 · answered by ChicagoDude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is by far the best un-answerable question I've ever read. Too funny.
2006-09-13 10:15:10 · answer #11 · answered by RockC 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋