Why can't an object with mass go the speed of light? What would happen to lengths and time at the speed c?
2007-01-21 11:39:04 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Because things "become heavier" the faster they move. Seeing as the speed of light is the fsatest anything can move, it means that anything with mass would be infinitely heavy and would require more energy than is available to be pushed to the speed of light.
2007-01-21 11:43:23 · answer #1 · answered by Michael Dino C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The reason is that mass structures as we know from the Periodic table of elements are mades with different combinations of atoms.It follows that the atoms are made out of the same mass light is made of.So if an atom was to move at the speed of light the composistion of the atom will break apart and float away in its rudimentary particle which is light particle.Hence these particles will dissipate out of the atom moving at the at the speed of light. The existance of the atom is then anniliated.
On your second part of your question= If a mass structure breaks apart at the speed of light it would no longer exist as a volume hence it will no longer have lenght width or high.
The Einstein time dilation formulas and distance schrinking formula basically applies to osciliatory motion of matter.
The faster the velocity of a wave the quicker( the Shorter the travel time) it gets to its destination and so the shorter the travel distance will be to that destination .
2007-01-21 20:15:05 · answer #2 · answered by goring 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is an interesting question and the answer is pretty confusing. As an object accelerates, it gains kinetic energy. By e = mc^2, this means that as the object gains energy, it also gains mass. However, the more massive an object gets, the harder it is to accelerate it. Therefore, by the time it reached close to light speed, the energy required to keep accelerating the object would go to infinity. Something traveling at the speed of light does not have any sense of time or space. A photon, for example, is eternally stuck in the same moment and position. Time and space both go to 0 at light speed. Pretty amazing, huh?
2007-01-21 19:45:58 · answer #3 · answered by jjjones42003 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The mass of an object increases without limit as the speed of the object approaches the speed of light. So it would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate it to the speed of light. This is not possible.
2007-01-21 19:47:47 · answer #4 · answered by Northstar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anything with mass will increase in mass to infinity at the speed of light, swallowing the universe and anything else in an infinitely massive black hole. But since that would also require an infinite amount of energy, it doesn't happen.
2007-01-21 19:50:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a few particles/elements which emit radiation that goes faster than speed c. For example gamma-rays, but to accelerate any particle with Mass to speed c would require lots and lots of energy, which would be hard to produce.
2007-01-21 19:50:19 · answer #6 · answered by beddazzled_devil 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time dialates when objects accelerate. When an object accelerates to the speed of light, it has 0 time. And so cannot exist.
2007-01-23 03:44:09 · answer #7 · answered by Qyn 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in accordance with E=mc2 the mass of any object would reach
infinity as it approached the speed of light
2007-01-21 19:46:26 · answer #8 · answered by osinamunatum 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it would be going so fast the particles that make f the atoms would come apart
2007-01-21 20:38:14 · answer #9 · answered by phyteacher 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋