speed of light?

Question

Using mathematical calculations, explain why the speed of light is the absolute speeed limit in the universe. Thanks

Answer 1

Yeah, and while your at it, balance the budget for the U.S. too! PUHLEASE! What you just asked IS THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY.

Nothing more, nothing less, go look there. IT explains why nothing can move at the speed of light (because of mass), to have something physical reach light-speed it would require infinite energy and infinite mass.

Answer 2

Using gm1m2/r^2 is not a valid approach for an electron since an electron can not travel at the speed of light. Electrons have mass, small but finite mass. As you approach the speed of light, mass increases, at the speed of light it would become infinite and prevent you from reaching the speed of light. Einstein said that nothing with non-zero rest mass travels at the speed of light.

I'm not sure if the speed of light being absolute was derived from anything mathematical. The speed of light was known from experimentation even before Einstien. Einstien postulated it was the maximum speed and that enabled him to solve his equasions.

Answer 3

S = speed of electron orbit
R = distance between to masses
E = mass of electron
P = mass of proton
G = gravitational constant
V = velocity
(squr) = squared
((G)(M1)(M2))/R(squr) = gravitational strength

Ok here we go,

(GPE)/R(squr) = E(S + V)

We know this because the electron moves at the speed of light. This is necessary for an atom to exist. Upon the increase of velocity, the orbit of the atom increases. This causes mass to expand. If the speed of the velocity is increase to the speed of light or "C", the momentum of the electron will be to high and it will break free from the orbit causing the destruction of molecules (not matter, the electrons protons and neutrons will still exist.) I would explain it mathematically but I'm currently at work and I don't have any of the numbers handy or memorized.

Answer 4

By means of Maxwell’s theory, we can determine V, the propagation velocity of the electro magnetic energy.

It turns out that

V = C/ square root of e*u.

Where e is the permittivity and u is the permeability of the medium of propagation.

C is a constant, which is determined from purely electro dynamic experiments. (It is important to note that it is not the velocity of E.M wave in vacuum)

Measuring the values of e and u for vacuum one can determine the speed of E.M wave in vacuum.

The calculated value for V is 3*10^8m/s.

V is maximum if e*u is one.
For vacuum e*u = 1.
Therefore the maximum velocity of propagation is C = 3*10^8 m/s.

Experimental value of V in vacuum agrees with this theoretical value.

However this gives the maximum speed of E.M wave.

This does not provide us the absolute nature of the speed.

The absolute nature is found by measuring the speeds of EM wave while a ray of light crosses a particular distance, while that distance, itself is moving toward the beam and away from the beam, in other words, while the ray is receding and approaching a moving source, using an ingenious method.

Many such observations and experiments have proved the constancy of this speed irrespective of the speed of source.

It has made the other quantities to be relative to the speed of light while speed of light is absolute.

A mathematical proof cannot be given to the law of inertia. Similarly a mathematical proof cannot be given to the absoluteness of the speed of EM wave.

If one considers that the speed of EM wave is not absolute but relative, then for each frame of reference we have to frame separate laws of physics. There is infinite number of reference frames.

Answer 5

It cannot be explained mathematically...it's experimentally proven and Einstein made this fact his n.1 postulate in his theory of relativity.

Answer 6

all I know is the speed of light is about 180,000,000 miles per second
(or somthin like that)