Why do people say travelling faster than the speed of light is impossible ?

Question

People will say 'Einstein said we couldnt so we cant', but people said long ago we couldnt travel faster than the speed of sound - wrong. It was said long long ago that if we travelled more than 5 miles per hour our insides would be crushed (the actual speed of this one ive forgotten but it was very low, to do with bicycles or cars being invented). They said the Earth was flat, man couldnt fly etc...
I think the only reason Einstein would say its impossible and come up with such an elaborate reason was to make people challenge him and say ' I dont belive it, we can travel faster, we just have to learn how to'.
My controversial part - Of course there are always people who accept the easist answer or the one that will keep them in the 'popular' group for fear of ridicule,eg. company men who go along with whatever they are told because they are too afraid to stand up for better ideas or ways.

Of course there is the unproven theory that anything accelerating will need infinite amounts of energy due to the mass increasing. I mean apart from that, because its unproven and so just a theory.

Fiona >
I read quite a bit of Hawkings 'A Brief History of Time' when i was a teenager. It was interesting. Thats many years ago now though and no mentions of Star Trek and Stargate dont discredit you. After all, yesterday in the news was a report that scientists have teleported information using light 50 cm thne reasemble the info back into matter, or it was the other way around, lol.
See> http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10/04/teleportation.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Sorry, it was 'Arror of Time' i was reading when younger.
I feel a little sorry for the people who only criticise saying that dogma is truth.
If everyone belived everything they were told, we'd be back to swinging in the trees.
Of course you have to question, question and ask more questions or else new discoveries will never be made.

Its dissapointiing that the people who write with self apointed authority are decades behind in the science and can only state Einsteins theoris which are now out dated.
To think that you know it all is the best sign of mental incapacity and a closed mind, no matter how much you refute it.
To say there is nothing that travels faster than light is like a neanderthal man saying nothing can go faster than a cheetah.

Answer 1

I may seem a bit dim, be way off and not read 1/3 of what you've written but on 1st glance i'd have said impossible simply means we (mankind) have not yet realized a way in which it is possible. Managing it "theoretically" is a whole different ballgame isn't it? To say it is possible would mean that there exists somewhere - RIGHT NOW - a vehicle of some kind that one could get into and accelerate to a speed which is faster than that of light. Well; there isn't!! Not yet!!! And that, i believe, is why people say that travelling faster than the speed of light is impossible (because now as things stand it IS)

Answer 2

The problem with the speed of light is that our universe is defined by this speed. Einstien's equations predict that as an object approachess the speed of light it will shrink and it will become heavier. If something were to actually reach the speed of light, it would be infinetely small and infinitely heavy. However, something that is infineitely small and heavy would have infinite gravity and, thus, destroy the universe (which some people would consider undesireable). Not to mention that the heavier an object is, the more energy it will take to accelerate it. So, as you get closer to the speed of light, you would need infinite energy to accelerate the tiniest bit faster.

Interestingly, the equations allow for the concept of a particle which is born traveling faster than light which could then never travel slower than the speed of light. This theoretical particle was of some interst but, eventually, proven to be impossible to exist.

I'm sure you'll continue to believe that the limits of the speed of light are wrong, but that's because you are more interested in fantasy than you are in science. If you really were interested in the science of your question, you would take a Modern Physics class at your local university.

Answer 3

I'm not entirely sure you understand what "Theory" means. It doesn't mean "guess". Einstein's theory of special relativity has been reaffirmed by many experiments by physicists.
I am not saying that this means it is impossible to "travel faster than the speed of light" - a statement which could really mean a lot of different things. I'm merely stating that physicists have and continue to test this theory. It has mostly stood the tests, and if repeatable experiments are developed that contradict it, than the theory will be modified to account for the new data. This is how all of science works. Do not think that physicists are closed minded or blindly accepting the word of Einstein.

Answer 4

I thought that there are sub-sub atomic particles (maybe radiation) called Quarks that are supposed to exist multi-dimensionally and able to not only exist in 2 places at a time but travel faster than light. Reading 'A brief history of time' by Stephen Hawkins gives a good insight into some of the possibilities.

Anyway, theoretically even travelling at the speed of light it would still take far too long for mankind to explore even the local galactic clusters around the Milky Way. Therefore, any cosmic explorations would need to utilise a totally different concept such as space-time ripples and distortions by Pulsar-type stars, gravitational ripples produced by highly dense nebulai or the ever-favourable black hole/white hole theories. Light travelling through the known universe is stretched (known as redshift) as time goes by. Galaxies and cosmic-anomolies are known to bend light and have huge effects upon it.

So, for interstellar travel we need to forget about the mindset of how fast can we go but look into alternative methods. A good but totally sci-fi example of this would be the jump/hyper drive or wormhole creating a tunnel or entry into a realm where travel from vastly distant points is achievable in milliseconds a'la Stargate SG1, Star Trek or Star Wars (have I just totally discredited myself by naming these???).

Further answers on a postcard...

Answer 5

the situation with the value of light is that our universe is defined by potential of this velocity. Einstien's equations anticipate that as an merchandise approachess the value of light it truly is going to shrink and it will develop into heavier. If some thing have been to certainly attain the value of light, it could be infinetely small and infinitely heavy. whether, some thing this is infineitely small and heavy could have countless gravity and, subsequently, smash the universe (which some people could evaluate undesireable). to no longer point out that the heavier an merchandise is, the extra potential it truly is going to take to strengthen up it. So, as you get closer to the value of light, you may desire countless potential to strengthen up the tiniest bit speedier. apparently, the equations enable for the assumption of a particle that's born vacationing speedier than gentle that ought to then by no potential holiday slower than the value of light. This theoretical particle develop into of a few interst yet, at last, shown to be impossible to exist. i'm optimistic you will proceed to have faith that the obstacles of the value of light are incorrect, yet it somewhat is given which you're extra attracted to delusion than you're in technology. in case you somewhat have been involved contained in the technology of your question, you may take a fashionable Physics classification at your interior sight college.

Answer 6

Well, his elaborate equations have held up pretty well so far, and according to them, as a vehicle nears light speed, it's mass nears infinity. Heavier things are harder to move.

Of course, he could be wrong, but at the moment we don't have the tools, or the knowledge to go about disproving him. You may as well be asking medieval farmers why we can't travel faster than sound. There's just no way to know whether or not it's possible right now.

Answer 7

It is good to question things, but do that with religion more than science! People say we cannot travel faster than light because we cannot do so. It's that simple. You cannot square the circle or trisect an angle or a line. Isaac Asimov wrote an essay titled "Impossible That's All". You should read it. Spend your time more productively than worrying about things you might understand much better if you read more about them with an open mind. Several answerers have given you good ideas, so I won't try to add to it.

Answer 8

Because it is still impossible to create something that can push an object (like a spaceship) that fast. Even if we could create a laser-driven craft that could be run in a vacuum, it would take years to accellerate to the speed of light. We will have to discover an entirely new division of physics to approach this task. And unfortunately, the odds are not good in discovering such breakthroughs. The age of physical enlightenment is in the past... now we are just perfecting the knowledge we have.

Answer 9

This depends on how you define speed,is it your velocity or part of the time,distance,speed triangle.If you want to travel at the velocity of light this is a dead end hypothesis as the technology and material restrictions are too great.But if you want to cross a distance in the same time as light would then dimensional science is probably the answer that will be applied first(wormholes).

Answer 10

Has anyone tried 'hitching a lift' on light itself? Light is after all the only thing that travels that fast. Is it theoretically possible to use light to give us a 'push' in our quest to go faster than the speed of light?

I don't doubt that light travel is theoretically possible, but I do doubt that it will ever be achieved given the current school of thought from physicists. Moreover, were it to be accomplished I imagine that Tony Blair would have a go at taxing it, thus negating any advantage of travelling so fast.