How much energy is required to propel a 10,000 pound object from zero to light speed?

Question

eric I - Do we know why that is? I mean why an object becomes more massive as it goes faster?

Answer 1

You can't achieve speed of light according to Theory of Relativity. So the energy needed is infinite

Answer 2

infinite! As an object approaches the speed of light its mass increases without bound. So it would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate an object with infinite mass.

Answer 3

Infinite...you can never propel an object to light speed. It would just keep getting heavier instead.

Answer 4

Actually, something with zero rest mass has no choice but to go at the speed of light. It wouldn't need any accelerating force at all.

Answer 5

The only way to acheive light speed is to be massless. So first, you need to find a way to negate the mass of your object, then the amount of energy needed is relatively small.

Answer 6

No one knows why the inertia of a mass increases towards, but not reaching infinity as its rest mass increases towards, but not reaching the speed of light. But it does, and that effect has been repeatedly verified by moving subatomic particles close to the speed of light in accelerators and noting how much more energy it takes to accelerate them a wee bit closer to light speed.

One explanation is drag force...not in the traditional sense (air drag)...but on a field called the Higgs Field. The WAG on this is that there is a higher dimensional field of bosons (Higgs bosons) that determine if a particle looks massless or with mass (i.e., without or with inertia).

If a particle aligns itself with the Higgs Field in some higher dimension, then it shows up as massless (like a photon) in our 4D universe. If the particle is counter aligned, against the direction of the Higgs Field, then it looks like a mass in our dimensions. Using the drag analogy, if a particle is aligned with the field, there is no drag (there is no inertia). If it is counter aligned, there is drag, which looks like inertia in our universe. [See source.]

So, still using the drag analogy, we see the forces (drag) on an object increase as the square of its velocity (v^2) through some medium (like air or water). In other words, forces required to overcome the drag forces and keep the object accelerating quadruple with every doubling of the velocity. And that's similar to what happens when the inertia on a rest mass increases as it moves through the Higgs Field towards the speed of light. That increased inertia is like an increase in drag force.

Answer 7

∞. m = m0/√(1 - (v²/c²)) where m is the relativistic mass and v is the object's velocity. SO, as the speed increases the object's mass increases and the energy to continue the acceleration increases without limit.
But you can get arbitrarily CLOSE to c. Say 99.99999% the closer you get the huger the energy...

Answer 8

Infinite; This is because the closer you get to the speed of light, the greater the mass becomes.

Answer 9

infinite. I feel that objects of mass will never be able to reach light speed while still keeping their basic properties.

Answer 10

hi Pete - the situation is which you replaced your inertial physique interior the direction of the question. You began by utilizing pointing out that each and each vacationer grow to be shifting at 0.9c in opposite instructions - yet relative to what inertial physique? then you definately suggested that the inertial physique grow to be linked to vacationer A. as quickly as you probably did that, the courting between the two visitors replaced, on the grounds which you may desire to state relative velocities in terms of one physique of reference. once you do this and be conscious the Lorentz rework equations as defined above, you discover that no merchandise can attain the fee of sunshine relative to a various observer in any physique of reference. issues like measured term and measured length interior the inertial physique replace with a view to make this all real.