If you were on a plane that was going the speed of light, and fired a gun, would that defy Einstein theory?

Question

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You are inside a compressed cabin, you fired the gun forwards.

Answer 1

Well you would need my costume that has a introverted Mass reduction compensator and if you were firing at me. I would be able to easily avoid the bullet, much like your fictional movie called "The Matrix". I really enjoy some of Earths entertainment and ideas. There is some hope for the Human Race, if you don't destroy your planet?

21st Century Man

Answer 2

I am assuming that the vehicle is going at almost the speed of light - close enough that the velocity of the gun's bullet (as seen by a passenger on the vehicle) plus the velocity of the vehicle (as seen by someone on the ground) add to greater than the speed of light.

But relativistic velocities don't add in the way Newtonian velocities do. The incremental increase in the speed of the bullet as seen by the ground observer is much less than that seen by a passenger on the vehicle, so the ground observer notes that the bullet still doesn't quite reach the speed of light. Uncle Al's answer gives some of the mathematical details.

Answer 3

Interesting question.

Albert argued nothing travels faster than the speed of light; and this is being questioned now in Physics.

If Albert was correct, the bullet would not move; also, you could not raise your arms and push them forward; why?

If your were at light speed, and your arms moved forward, even slowly as if to drink....would that mean your arms are traveling 186,ooo mps PLUS whatever speed your arms moved forward? I reckon so.

With that said what would happen or could happen????????

On Alberts theory alone, you could not walk forward an inch, am I right?

Answer 4

Your premise violates special relativity to start since you'd require infinite energy to get the palne to the speed of light to begin with. Assuming that you are travelling very fast, almost near the speed of light, then the answer is no, you would not violate special relativity. In your frame of reference (the plane), the bullet is moving at subluminal speed - whatever the muzzle velocity of the gun is. You have no way of knowing you are moving with respect to the outside world - looking out th ewindow only tells you that the world and you are moving relative to each other but not who is moving. Some one looking in the window of the plane, sees time dialated adn lengths contracted in you airplane so the bullet appears to move at sub-light speeds as well.

Answer 5

Yes, a plane can't reach the speed of light.

Answer 6

no if two planes each going at the speed of light were going straight at each other the closing speed between them would still only be the speed of light . this kind of physics can not be described or even thought of in every day terms that we are familiar with.

Answer 7

"If you were on a plane that was going the speed of light...." That would defy Einsteins theory.

Answer 8

i dont think so because in the cabin of that plane nothing is moving, so it would be the same speed as firing a bullet on earth, the earth travels and hundreds of thousands of mph and when you fire a bullet its not going that fast

Answer 9

I see your point, and yes, IF all those things happened, then you would have something that would go faster than light - relative to something not moving.

How about if you were on a spaceship going .51 the speed of light and there was another spaceship heading towards you at .51 the speed of light... what would you see?

Answer 10

yes.
the speed of bullet would be speed of plane + the speed at which the bullet normally travels